The WHO believes the link between the virus and microcephaly in some newborns is “more and more probable”, Mr Kieny said, but it will take “weeks to a few months” to determine whether a firm link exists.
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Symptoms of Zika virus, which spreads through mosquito bites, include fever, joint pain, rash, conjunctivitis, headache, muscle pain and eye pain. Dr. Kieny made a point to mention that the United Nations health agency’s response to the outbreak was also “proceeding very quickly”.
Treatment options for Zika were also being looked at but the prospects are complicated by the fact that most people infected by the virus do not display visible symptoms.
Guillain-Barre syndrome, in which the body’s immune system attacks part of the nervous system, causes gradual weakness in the legs, arms and upper body and sometimes total paralysis. But he said the company wants to be responsible, so instead of traveling in the Americas during carnival week, employees have been using Skype and the telephone to keep in touch. Doctors commonly screen pregnant women for these infections, said Dr. Ian Lipkin of the Center for Infection and Immunity at Columbia University in NY.
The Zika virus and the increase of microcephaly, a rare birth defect that results in infants being born with abnormally small heads and brains, in Brazil is stirring up a large debate on the topic of abortion.
“Our pregnant employees located in countries with Zika are following the guidance of their physicians and local public health authorities”, said Ramiro Prudencio, president and chief executive of BM Latin America.
Many scientists are convinced the link is real.
In cases when women have one or two miscarriages, the cause is usually severe chromosomal problems, experts say. “First, the serological test, which is an (immunoglobulin M) test, which tests for an acute infection, is performing better than we had hoped”.
For more on Zika virus, visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The NIH is working on a DNA-based vaccine that uses the same approach as one being developed for West Nile virus. Bharat has announced that its experimental vaccine would soon start preclinical trials. An initial delegation of 15 researchers from the CDC was slated to arrive in Brazil on Friday, he added.
Last week the CDC issued its own detailed recommendations for preventing sexual transmission of the virus, including the suggestion that men who have traveled to Zika-affected regions consider abstaining from sex with their pregnant partner for the duration of the pregnancy.
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The World Health Organization said Friday large-scale trials for Zika virus vaccines are at least 18 months away, while establishing a possible link between the virus and two more harmful conditions will likely only take weeks, AFP reported.
