So far, health authorities have only confirmed six cases of microcephaly where the infant was infected with the mosquito-born Zika virus. Preliminary tests (full details not yet available from the CDC) indicate that this is linked to Zika virus.
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It is native mainly to tropical Africa, with outbreaks in Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands. Brazil has deployed the military to assist with mosquito eradication programs in order to try to minimize the health threat from the virus during the Olympic games in August.
A health agent from Sao Paulo’s public health secretary shows a Brazillian soldier Aedes aegypti mosquito larvae that she found during a clean-up operation. It is spread by the Aedes Aegypti mosquito, which also carries dengue fever and yellow fever.
The virus may also spread through sexual contact.
“Aedes mosquitoes – the main vector for Zika transmission – are present in all the region’s countries except Canada and continental Chile”, the World Health Organization statement read according to CNN. The Center for Disease Control, however, has said that approximately 80 percent of the people that get infected with Zika are asymptomatic.
However, most diagnoses of Zika virus are based on people’s symptoms and travel history.
The illness caused by the virus has been blamed for birth defects. Pregnant women are at high risk of contracting the Zika virus, which can lead to birth defects. Since then, there have been 3,893 cases of suspected microcephaly in the country, over 30 times more than have been reported in any year since 2010.
According to World Health Organization, microcephaly can be caused by a variety of environmental and genetic factors such as Downs syndrome; exposure to drugs, alcohol or other toxins in the womb; and rubella infection during pregnancy.
Meanwhile, doctors have noted increased reports of a nerve condition called Guillain-Barre (gee-YAHN’-buh-RAY) that can cause paralysis.
Where does the Zika virus come from – and where can you catch it?
The WHO said the best known prevention measures include wearing long sleeves and pants, applying insect repellents and sleeping under mosquito nets.
Some scientists in the regions have reportedly begun to experiment with possibly releasing genetically modified mosquitoes in an effort to potentially disrupt the mosquitoes that transmit the virus.
Yes, but in travelers.
But, as with any mosquito-borne disease, once Zika is in place, it will spread quickly.
Additionally, the virus has been linked with microcephaly and other poor pregnancy outcomes.
Last week’s alert included Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Suriname and Venezuela.
A spokeswoman for Merck & Co Inc, which will likely be one of the first makers of an Ebola vaccine, said the company was not now engaged in research to prevent or treat the Zika virus.
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The CDC travel advisory recommends that pregnant women or those trying to become pregnant postpone travel to the outbreak regions. It is characterized by a small head, resulting in the brain not properly and completely developing.
