Published Sept. 6 in Cell Reports, the study describes the effect of the Zika virus infection in the eyes of mouse fetuses, newborns, and adults.
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“We ask you to stand by the people of Florida in our time of need and use your legal authority to grant us access to a new source of hope in the fight against the spread of this bad virus”, the letter said.
The World Health Organisation said people infected with the virus can have symptoms including mild fever, skin rash, conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain, malaise or headache. The disease is mostly transmitted by mosquitoes but can also be spread via sex. “Sexual transmission is probably not playing a major role, but it could be some other bodily fluid – saliva, or urine or tears”, said Dr. Michael Diamond, one of the senior authors of the study, as per the Mirror.
“Once again, Congress has been asleep at the wheel while thousands of Americans, including folks in Orange County, have contracted the Zika virus”, Maloney said.
It said this recommendation now also applies to females, whether or not they have had symptoms.
Health officials advise precautions and remind people of how the virus can be spread, to avoid further infection. These observations confirm that Zika is able to travel to the eye. The son has since recovered.
Zika virus may linger in your eyes, according to a discovery made by a group of researchers who found it in the eyes of mice.
Samples of mouse tears were taken 28 days after infection, according to the researchers.
Sanjaya Senanayake, an Associate Professor of Medicine at at Australian National University who specialises in infectious diseases, said Australians travelling to Zika-affected regions including Singapore “should be cautious”. However, that does not mean human tears are not infectious. He added that in people, “it could be a completely different story”. Just this: human eyes can be the storage place of the deadly virus! The virus lurked in his eye months after he had been declared Ebola-free.
Zika is a mosquito-borne virus that can be passed from a pregnant woman to her unborn baby. Before mowing the lawn, walking the dog or going to the kid’s soccer game, they say, you should load up with DEET and put on long clothes – even if South Florida’s weather remains uncomfortably hot.
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The study said the eyes of the mice also might be used to test anti-Zika drugs. The fact that the eyes act as a reservoir for Zika, long after the infection has cleared the rest of the body, could have implications for the natural history of the disease, especially if it’s discovered that transmission is possible through human tears.
