The health ministry has asked members of the public to help eliminate mosquitos around their homes and in their communities and has advised those traveling back from Zika-affected areas to report any symptoms. The Group of scientists, who conducted this study including one Indian have found evidence of the virus in eyes and tears of infected mice.
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If Zika is harbored in the eyes and spread through tears, she said it wouldn’t greatly change the department’s approach.
An anti-Zika virus kit, including a bug net, mosquito repellent, condoms, literature and anti-mosquito dunks.
The WHO has documented cases of the virus being transmitted through vaginal, anal and oral sex. About a third of all fetuses infected during pregnancy are born with eye diseases or blindness. Florida now has 56 locally acquired Zika cases.
Zika does cause conjunctivitis and eyes are a so-called immune-privileged site, meaning the immune system is not as active there and can not easily destroy infectious viruses and bacteria leaving it in the body’s system.
The vast majority of people infected with Zika have a mild infection and about 80 per cent have no symptoms.
The study did explore whether Zika could be infectious once in the eye. Moreover, the experiment on lab mice could be used in testing anti-Zika drugs.
Eye infection raises the possibility that people could acquire Zika infection through contact with tears from infected people.
“Even though we didn’t find live virus in mouse tears, that doesn’t mean that it couldn’t be infectious in humans”, added Jonathan J. Miner, doctoral student at the Washington University. Human tears potentially could be tested for viral RNA or antibodies – as a less painful way to diagnose Zika infection than drawing blood.
It’s an evolutionary response to avoid inflammation of sensitive tissue “because if you have a lot of inflammation or scar tissue, it’s not good for vision”, he said.
As research into the Zika virus rapidly advances, we’re learning there are a number of ways the virus may spread – possibly even through our tears.
Zika has spread across much of Latin America and the Caribbean.
“I think Australians should be reassured by that, but just be careful when they’re travelling to countries where there’s a risk of transmission”, he said.
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The administration said all global travel healthcare centres would provide “free Zika screening and tests” to all individuals travelling from countries where local Zika transmission had been confirmed. We also know that you can contract it as an STD from both male and female sexual partners.
