Pregnant women in South and Central America and the Caribbean, and those who may become pregnant, are told to wear long-sleeved shirts, long trousers and hats, and use an insect repellent with DEET on any uncovered skin.
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What is the history of the Zika virus?
Argentina is reporting a second person in the country is confirmed to be infected with Zika.
First, better tests to diagnose Zika itself will be important. The first recorded case of Zika fever in Brazil was in 2014.
“Aedes mosquitoes are not found in WA, so there is no recognised risk of the virus spreading here”.
Brazil, which has been hardest hit by Zika, said on Tuesday that 4,074 cases of infants with severe birth defects could be linked to the mosquito-borne virus, for which there is no vaccine.
“This is not a generalized public health measure, for the love of God”, he added.
It has been spotted as far north as the Netherlands. Previous incidents of sexual transmission indicate the Zika virus can survive for weeks after infection in an infected man’s semen and urine. If not, the baby when born may develop microcephaly.
“It can be very serious, it can require long-term care”, said Dr. Anthony Costello, the World Health Organization’s director of maternal, child and adolescent health.
There is no vaccine or treatment for Zika. Those who are affected are advised to treat any symptoms that may arise, and to remain hydrated and well rested. It’s normally non-fatal, and only leaves people with minor symptoms.
Zika virus appeared in Brazil in May, and quickly spread to make the country the worst hit over 30 countries and territories in the Americas. Another alternative would be to create an attenuated Zika virus using a method similar to the one in the development of the dengue vaccine. The Aedes Aegypti’s range is limited to tropical regions.
Spokesman Gregory Hartl says WHO is organizing and supporting research about the mostly mosquito-borne virus and “under what conditions is it transmitted and via which routes other than the mosquito route”. If this is the case, combating and preventing the spread of the Zika virus will be made hard.
Here are some questions and answers about the virus and the current outbreak.
A mosquito-borne virus that’s been linked to birth defects is raising fears among some travelers to South America.
“So we have a lot of experience now, more than 15 years, in responding to dengue fever and the same sorts of approaches will apply to Zika”. The range could continue to stretch further away from the equator as global temperatures rise.
The disease seems insignificant, but it also seems to be having a devastating effect on babies whose mothers are infected with the virus. While an attractive idea, it is not without its complications. “We can’t allow them to be born”, reads one of the banners on the government website. Even Portugal, Brazil’s former colonial master, doesn’t have the Brazilian strain; the National Health Institute in Lisbon said its tests relied on a USA sample from the 1980s, among others.
Still, the elimination of an entire species is not something to be taken lightly. Mosquitoes are plentiful and breed rapidly in the wild.
It can only be spread through mosquitoes and not casual contact.
Perhaps a bigger worry than sex is what dangers may lurk in blood donations from people who have been in Zika outbreak areas, said Dr. W. Ian Lipkin, a Columbia University infectious diseases researcher. Health authorities in Brazil have also reported an increase in Guillain-Barre syndrome.
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It’s a tall order, because so much is unknown about sexual transmission and Zika, experts said.
