Why the Zika virus is causing alarm

worldwide health officers have stated that the Zika virus, which has been connected to severe delivery defects in lots of toddlers in Brazil, is swiftly spreading within the Americas and will infect up to four million human beings.

The race is directly to develop a Zika vaccine.

the subsequent are some questions and answers approximately the virus and the modern-day outbreak.

How do human beings emerge as infected?

The virus is transmitted to humans thru the chunk of infected woman Aedes mosquitoes, the same type of mosquito that spreads dengue, chikungunya and yellow fever. The Pan American health organisation (PAHO) said Aedes mosquitoes are determined in all nations in the Americas besides Canada and continental Chile, and the virus will probable attain all countries and territories of the region wherein Aedes mosquitoes are determined.

How do you treat Zika contamination?

there may be no remedy or vaccine to be had for Zika contamination. groups and scientists are racing to develop a safe and powerful vaccine for Zika, but one isn't always anticipated to be ready for months or years.

How risky is it?

The PAHO said there is no proof that Zika can reason death, however a few instances had been reported with more serious headaches in patients with pre-existing scientific conditions.

The virus has been related to microcephaly, a circumstance in newborns marked by abnormally small heads and brains that have no longer evolved properly. It additionally has been related to Guillain-Barre syndrome, an extraordinary disease wherein the frame's immune device attacks part of the frightened gadget. Scientists are analyzing whether there may be a causal link among Zika and those two disorders.

How is Zika related to microcephaly?

tons remains unknown approximately Zika, together with whether or not the virus definitely reasons microcephaly. Brazil is investigating the potential link among Zika infections and greater than four,000 suspected instances of microcephaly, a condition marked with the aid of abnormally small head size which could result in developmental issues. Researchers have diagnosed proof of Zika contamination in 17 of those cases, both in the baby or in the mom, but have not confirmed that Zika can purpose microcephaly.

it's far uncertain whether in pregnant girls the virus crosses the placenta and reasons microcephaly. studies in Brazil shows the best microcephaly hazard seems to be related to infection at some stage in the first trimester of being pregnant.

What are the signs and symptoms of Zika contamination?

folks that get Zika virus disorder usually have a slight fever, pores and skin rash, conjunctivitis, muscle and joint ache and fatigue which can closing for 2 to seven days. however as many as 80 percent of humans infected in no way increase symptoms. The signs and symptoms are just like the ones of dengue or chikungunya, that are transmitted with the aid of the identical kind of mosquito.

How can Zika be contained?

Efforts to govern the spread of the virus awareness on removing mosquito breeding sites and taking precautions against mosquito bites along with the usage of insect repellent and mosquito nets. U.S. health officials have recommended pregnant girls to keep away from travel to Latin American and Caribbean countries where they will be uncovered to Zika.

How great is the outbreak inside the Americas?

health officers said Zika outbreaks had been stated in as a minimum 33 countries in the Americas. Brazil has been the kingdom most affected.

other nations and territories consist of Barbados, Bolivia, Cape Verde, Colombia, Curaçao, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Fiji, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica,

Maldives, Martinique, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Saint Martin, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Suriname, Tonga, Vanuatu, U.S. Virgin Islands, Venezuela, consistent with the WHO. (bit.ly/1SxYwub)

what is the history of the Zika virus?

The Zika virus is observed in tropical locales with massive mosquito populations. Outbreaks of Zika virus disease were recorded in Africa, the Americas, Southern Asia and the Western Pacific. The virus become first recognized in Uganda in 1947 in rhesus monkeys and was first identified in people in 1952 in Uganda and Tanzania, in keeping with the world fitness corporation.

Can Zika be transmitted via sexual touch?

two cases of possible character-to-man or woman sexual transmission has been described, but the PAHO stated extra proof is wanted to confirm whether sexual contact is a method of Zika transmission.

The PAHO also said Zika may be transmitted thru blood, however this is an infrequent transmission mechanism. there may be no proof the virus may be transmitted to toddlers through breast milk.

What other headaches are associated with Zika?

The WHO says because no large Zika outbreaks have been recorded earlier than 2007, little is thought about complications resulting from contamination. at some stage in a scourge of Zika from 2013-2014 in French Polynesia, national health authorities reported an uncommon increase in Guillain-Barre syndrome. fitness government in Brazil have also reported an growth in Guillain-Barre syndrome.

lengthy-time period fitness consequences of Zika infection stay uncertain. other uncertainties surround the incubation period of the virus and the way Zika interacts with other viruses that are transmitted by mosquitoes which includes dengue.