Zika was first detected in Africa in 1947 when it was considered a relatively mild disease until the current outbreak started in Brazil in May 2015. A new study suggests the worrisome Zika virus apparently has been in Brazil at least a year longer than experts previously thought.
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A possible worldwide outbreak of Zika Virus comes down to one type of mosquito, that’s according to a UT professor.
They used samples taken Zika cases across Brazil and looked for mutations in the genetic sequence.
Zika has also been linked to Guillain-Barre, a rare condition that causes the body’s immune system to attack a part of the nervous system that controls muscle strength. Having the assay gives researchers access to more information and allows them to test strategies and methods that could eventually halt the spread of the virus. Zika has been increasing in recognition in Brazil, Mexico and most recently in Puerto Rico, Haiti, and the US Virgin Islands. Health officials also said pregnant women should avoid sexual contact or only have protected sex with any man who has recently traveled to a country with Zika transmission. “However, the Health District’s Vector Control Program is equipped to trap and identify this specific species, as it has been found in neighboring states”, said Dr. Iser.
Other symptoms of the virus include fever, joint pain, conjunctivitis or rash that lasts for several days.
For those who don’t know, Zika virus is contracted when a person is bitten by an infected mosquito. Or perhaps the virus was introduced to Brazil and French Polynesia at about the same time – carried by people from some third location, said the University of Oxford’s Oliver Pybus, another study co-author, in an email.
State Epidemiologist Dr. Thomas Dobbs said on MSDH website, “Three U.S. territories and 36 other states have already reported travel-associated cases”.
If you have a male partner who lives in or has traveled to an area where Zika transmission is ongoing, either use condoms the right way every time, or do not have sex during your pregnancy. One of the main worries about the virus stems from the effects it has on human offspring.
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“We have the very susceptible population that has not met this virus before, we have widespread aedes ageypti mosquitoes, we have a lot of travel in and out of the region”.
