Zika Virus Thesis

First isolated from a rhesus monkey in Uganda, the Zika virus (ZIK V) did not pose a serious global threat until recent outbreaks in 2007 on Yap Island in Micronesia and the current outbreak which began in 2013 in the French Polynesia. And, although the virus is transmitted via infected mosquitoes, studies indicate that the disease potentially can be transmitted sexually (Musso, D., Roche, C., Robin, E., Nhan, T., Teissier, A., and

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

In the united states , the government is divided into three different branches, although they are divided and they each have their own specific purpose; they all come together to make sure one main goal is provided and that is protection. The government is here to protect its people from things such as; laws that violates rights, harmful people, illnesses. And etc. in this case the government is in charge of protecting everyone from the illness Zika, which is a virus that is spread to people primarily through the bite of an infected Aedes species mosquito. After viewing the assigned readings and viewing it proves that the government is fulfilling its role in protecting the people from the Zika virus.

One ongoing case that has evolved in the United States throughout the past couple of years is the Zika virus. The Chicago Tribune wrote “Commentary: To fight Zika, Deploy the National Guard” which was written on May 27, 2016 by ML Cavanaugh. According to http://www.mlcavanaugh.com, ML Cavanaugh is a United States Army strategist and has taught classes in the defense and strategic studies program. He was the youngest recipient of the “Order of Saint Gabriel the Archangel” according to mlcavanaugh.com.

The Olympic Games in Rio De Jaineiro during this past summer of 2016 shared the spotlight with the Zika Virus. Many athletes were concerned about this new transmitted virus and proceeded to walk away from the games. Even with many of the athletes backing out of the games there were many brave athletes that looked past this obstacle and focused on something else, winning the gold. The committee was thinking of relocating the Olympic Games because of the Zika breakout and all of the commotion it had caused. Not many knew about the new virus; how you could get it and how it was being spread. Many people just thought it was just another normal mosquito bite that only gave some type of minor flu. Little did anyone know that in fact the Zika Virus is very harmful and, can end up being deadly.

As of now, there is no official vaccine for Zika. Instead, a patient that has the contagion must undergo certain treatments. Fortunately, the remedies for the virus are simple and cheap. If infection occurs, it is vital to get an abundance of rest and liquids; medication is also advised to assist in alleviating pain. The treatments for Zika are straightforward because the disease itself is rather mild. In fact, in most reported cases of the virus in the United States, the illness only lasted approximately two to seven days prior to the first set of symptoms (“World Health Organization”). It is evident that the fear associated with the Zika Virus is slightly exaggerated. Currently, there is only one recorded fatality in the United States that is directly related to Zika (“The Washington Post”). This is mainly because first world countries’ medical programs are advanced enough to effectively treat the virus. The standard of living in these countries are also higher compared to third world countries. That is why Zika has claimed a significant amount of lives worldwide; the poor conditions in these countries make it difficult for infected individuals to get proper

My opinion concerning the Zika virus is one that is strongly built upon the principle that government aid and funding in regards to health care is necessary to ensure the safety of American citizens. A fatal virus such as this one that spreads through a country at an exponential rate is not a epidemic to be taken lightly. Nor is it an issue that should be dismissed simply because of libertarians believing that healthcare should be handled at a private level because of the sinister idea of a large scale imposition of government aid that would provide assistance to citizens that are weeks, or even days, away from dying. The two biggest political parties of the U.S. seem to understand that this issue is a pressing one, and that funding to combat

How is the Zika virus affecting pregnant women in the United States? A report published Tuesday by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, provided evidence of the risk of birth defects increasing when women are infected in the first trimester. The hypothesis of the report indicated that one in 10 pregnant women with Zika virus in U.S. have babies with birth defects and that there was at least one pregnant woman with a suspected Zika virus infection in every state of the United States. The USZPR includes data of the 50 states and Washington, D.C. This study was in response to the recent outbreak of Zika virus cases worldwide and the concerns of birth defects linked to this virus. Babies infected with the Zika virus are born with small heads, known as microcephaly, a

This article focuses on the outbreak of the Zika virus, which has recently begun spreading across the world with an emphasis on Latin American countries Brazil and Colombia. There are currently over 26,000 people who have been confirmed as infected with the virus in Colombia alone and this number is expected to rise dramatically to about 600,000 within the coming months considering the location and altitude of the countries and the frequency of their carrier mosquito. The virus has no vaccine yet; all prevention methods are focused on controlling the mosquitos spreading the disease by promoting proper sanitation regarding dirty water storage and accumulated trash. Among the people infected is 16-year-old Angie Paola Castro, one of 3,177 women

The Zika Virus outbreak currently developing in Latin America is a challenge that the US must worry about. With Latin America being right next door to the United States, the Zika Virus must be contained within Latin America but Latin America should be offered some relief in treating and preventing the disease. More specifically, the US should emplace traveling restrictions for heavily infected countries and regulate health exams for people traveling to South America. The US should also enforce tighter mosquito season requirements like monitoring mosquito populations and require spraying in areas with suspected cases. In terms of international relations, the US, in collaboration with other world powers, should adopt policies to help stop the spread of viral diseases like Ebola and other diseases like Zika by working with

Zika virus - little bites, big results. Everyone has been bitten by a mosquito at least once in their life and nobody likes it. But what’s worse is being bitten by an Aedis species mosquito infected with Zika. Even though it is is not expected to find the zika virus in New York, pesticides should still be sprayed for the safety and benefit of the residents here.

5) Scientists recommend specific measures to avoid contracting the Zika virus. a) For everyone, insect repellant with DEET and protective clothing is recommended. b) The CDC now issues a level 2 travel alert warn people travelling to Zika infested regions (Schmidt, 163). c) The use of insecticide spraying and larvicides has proven effective in preventing and controlling the outbreak of the virus (Baden et al, 1559). 6) Conclusion – Scientists and medical personnel around the world are continuing to learn about the transmission, symptoms, and risks of the Zika virus.

First, since scientists are discovering that insecticides are becoming less efficient in removing vast amount of mosquitoes, new methods such as introducing genetically modified mosquitoes are being implemented (13). Under the controversial RIDL program (Releasing of insects carrying dominant lethal genes) genetically modified mosquito vectors are released into the environment without the ability to replicate arboviruses (i.e. zika) (13). Research can be conducted to integrate this new GMO technology into the mathematical model to find its effect on the transmissibility and the R0 value. Additional research can be conducted to find the effects of a vaccine being discovered and mapping the optimal percentage of vaccinations required in a population for the Zika Virus to be non lethal. Although this is purely hypothetical, scientists are actively working to find cures and can soon become quite relevant. Finally, one can research an agent based Zika model in which the movement of humans and vectors is stochastic (random) which can, in turn, add to the precision and reliability of a model

This predictive model along with the big data infrastructure could be extremely useful to the real world. Hence, by using this artifact in the real-world, governments and the health care organizations can understand states and regions in the U.S.A that are at high risk in registering more number of Zika disease case counts. This identification results support heavily in the decision making process. Rather than concentrating on the entire nation, this predictive model results helps the organizations focus only on the few states that are at high risk of registering more number of Zika disease case counts. Hence, by focusing on few states spread of disease to the new states could be eliminated there by reducing the chances of disease being an outbreak. Moreover, by initiating the awareness campaigns, and starting good precaution measures governments can save a huge amount of money. Since network patterns played an important role in spreading the disease, therefore, flights incoming and outgoing from the high risk states could be stopped in spreading the disease to other states.