Zika Virus Research Paper

In this project women of childbearing age was largely the population of focus, with many social determinants of the health that made this already vulnerable population even more in need of assistance concerning possible Zika outbreaks, prenatal education, and family planning services. Social determinants of health may include a variety of non-medical variables such as socioeconomic status, education attainment, neighborhood factors, racial discrimination, access to resources, working environment, etc. (Braveman, Egerter, & Williams, 2011; Mendez, Hogan, & Culhane, 2013). Women of childbearing age in relation to Zika virus exposure risk may encounter institutionalized racism and various upstream determinants of health that may negatively impact their ability to obtain healthcare coverage, educational resources, and family planning services. The political trends in Texas towards defunding Planned Parenthood and not expanding Medicaid services has placed an enormous burden on the women of Texas who wish to plan or prevent pregnancy but do not have the financial means to do so (Darney, et al., 2017). In the wake of a possible endemic disease, such as Zika virus, the most vulnerable will be the most susceptible.

Zika virus was discovered by scientists in the Zika rainforest in a remote part of Uganda in 1947, in the serum of an infected rheseus monkey. With five thousand two hundred thirty- four known cases of the infectious virus documented in the United States. There is currently no vaccination for the flu like virus. The chief concern of the healthcare administration is to continue to take preventive measures to prevent contracting the virus. Within the same flavivirus family

By getting the virus from a bite the mosquito must already be infected itself. There are studies currently happening trying to figure out how long exactly does the virus stay inside the semen and vaginal fluids of those who are infected, also being studied is how long it can be passed to their partners. Although the U.S. hasn't seen any cases of the disease being transmitted by blood transfusion it has been seen in other places in the world. An example would be the French Polynesian outbreak, around 2% of those donating blood tested positive for Zika however, in previous outbreaks the virus was also found. Just one case in the United States shows of someone getting ill through a laboratory yet, prior situations show four cases of someone getting the virus in a laboratory

When people think of the word ‘epidemic’, they generally imagine a widespread disease that threatens humanity as a whole. While most of the hysteria associated with pandemics stem purely from fiction, it can be understandable why people always fear the worst. That is why when an outbreak of the Zika Virus was reported in the United States, an overall feeling of malaise set in. As of September 21, 2016, a total of 3,358 cases of the Zika Virus have been reported (“Center for Disease Control and Prevention”). Though the numbers are alarming, there is no need for a national quarantine or emergency evacuation. In reality, the Zika Virus is not as intimidating as society puts it out to be. The panic and confusion associated with

Marsha- As we know, the Zika virus can be passed from the mother to the fetus and can cause congenital microcephaly and other severe brain defects to the fetus. If you have a confirmed case of the Zika virus, does your department have a protocol in place for scanning these patients? Have you performed a case that there was a confirmed case of the Zika virus? If so, can you tell us what the physicians plan was for the patient and fetus?

The recent outbreak of the Zika virus in parts of Central and South America has triggered widespread fear in the U.S. fueled in part by concentrated media coverage and false knowledge of the disease. In a recent survey conducted by the Annenberg Public Policy Center (2006) found that roughly 50% of Americans were concerned that the virus would expand to include the area in which they live, 19% believed that it is likely that sitting near an infected individual increased the likelihood of catching it, 38% believed that the virus is deadly, and 35% believed a conspiracy theory claiming that that genetically modified mosquitos have directly caused the virus to spread. Despite the popularity of these beliefs, they are all false according to the U. S. Center for Disease control and prevention (CDC, 2016b).

CDC has updated its interim guidelines for US healthcare providers caring for pregnant women and women of reproductive age during ongoing transmission of Zika virus. These guidelines apply to healthcare providers caring for women of reproductive age in the United States including US territories and will be updated as more information becomes available.

The Zika virus has extremely negative side effects in women who are or will become pregnant. With the virus showing no signs of slowing down Pope Francis had to take a stand that many people who have been devoted Christ followers could be upset by. Pope Francis in something that many people thought they would never see happen, said that in some cases, contraception can be used during sex. The Catholic Church has been against many forms of contraception for years however, given the issue, Pope Francis suggested it could be used to stop the spread of the virus. The author of the article, James T. Bretzke, a professor at Boston College and an expert in Moral Theology, is able to explain and discuss why Pope Francis is still following Catholic

The United States government endorses global programs for many reasons. Global health programs are considered to subsidize the national security because these programs encourage economic growth, increase democracy, and augmented stability. The United States global health is divided into two main arrangements of the government. They are foreign assistance and public health structures. Foreign assistance is mainly global expansion and relates to foreign policy, whereas, public health is disease avoidance, regulator, and surveillance strengths. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) function is to aid in long-term and justifiable cost-effective growth in counties. The USAID is humanitarian assistance program that discusses global issues involving the Bureau for Economic Growth that applies to clean water and hygiene projects (Henry J. Kasiser Family Foundation, 2015). In the light of the zika virus, the (USAID) has accepted $335 million to aid countries that were affected by the zika virus (Jaffe,

In the article, “Local Transmission of Zika Virus is reported in Texas”, it stated that on November 28th, 2016 health officials announced Zika has been reported in Texas. In the United States, the virus has only been in Florida. In Florida, it was believed to be carried by mosquitoes from person to person. But this case in Texas is carried by a women. Medical Investigators are trying to found out if the infection is spreading.

Nowadays, there is no treatment or vaccination available for Zika. The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) states two reasons why it is hard to find the cure:

For a couple of weeks now, a so-called epidemic of the Zika virus has been plastered all over the media’s health sections. Many people have ascribed the rise in the Zika virus as the leading cause to rise in the cases of Microcephaly (a condition where babies are born with abnormally small heads). This belief has become so strong that the WHO has even recommended that pregnant women not travel to areas affected with the Zika virus. As a result of these recent events, the question “ Does Zika actually cause microcephaly?” begs to be asked. The unfortunate answer to this question is that we don’t know. The article which I chose to read dealt with why it is so hard to ascribe microcephaly to the Zika virus and what we should do about it. In short, the reason why it is so hard to prove is

As more awareness of the Zika virus grows the cost to combat its detection, prevention and treatment grow too. Without the funding to address and implement necessary testing, precautions, and treatment the Zika virus will have a tremendous global impact on the already poverty-stricken originating regions as well as those who visit impacted areas. “Despite the US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) issuance of emergency use authorizations, diagnostic tests are slow, expensive, and of variable accuracy.” (Gostin, Hodge 2016)

The Zika virus is primarily spread through the bite of an infected Aedes species mosquito (https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/22/7/15-1990_article). The Zika virus can pass from a pregnant woman to her fetus during pregnancy, which can result in serious birth defects such as microcephaly and Down syndrome. Currently the virus has not been found in breast milk. Zika can also be sexually transmitted. Evidence has been found in blood donors that do not show any signs or symptoms of having the Zika virus. Blood transfusions and organ transplants can also be another way for the virus to be transmitted

Brazil, the largest country in South America, the Sothern Hemisphere and is the 5th largest in the world covers an area over 3, 287,000 square mile. The terrain is mostly flat with some hills and mountains as well as containing the Amazon Rain Forest. Temperatures are mostly tropical with some temperate zones. Sharing boarders with 10 countries as well having over 4,000 miles of coastline on to the Atlantic Ocean was discovered by the Portuguese in the 1500s. Not gaining its independence until the early 1800, it remained under a monarchy or military rule until 1985 when it created its current constitution and classified as a federal republic.