There is no evidence so far to suggest any difference in severity between the Asian and South American strain of the Zika virus, said the Health Ministry (MOH) and A*STAR on Thursday (Sept 9), as they reiterated that Zika virus strains in locally transmitted cases here are similar to the virus circulating in South-east Asia since the 1960s. These problems can include inflammation of the optic nerve, retinal damage or blindness after birth, the study authors noted.
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The CDC and SCHD said that they will not provide any additional information about the case to protect the privacy of the unnamed individual.
“Only after doing that will we begin to get a handle as to whether the tears are carrying enough infectious virus to transmit it, or whether there’s very small amounts and they’re not really transmissible”, Diamond said.
He said there might be a certain window when human tears could be highly infectious and those who come into contact with it can facilitate the spread of the virus.
Samples of mouse tears were taken 28 days after infection, according to the researchers. And now, latest findings show that the virus might be able to live in your tears.
The immune system is less active in the eye in order to avoid accidental damage to sensitive tissues responsible for vision when the body is fighting an infection.
Study co-senior author Dr. Rajendra Apte said the researchers “are planning studies in people to find out whether infectious virus persists in the cornea or other compartments of the eye, because that would have implications for corneal transplantation”.
The CDC also is advising pregnant women not to travel to an area where active Zika transmission is ongoing, and to use insect repellent and wear long trousers and long-sleeved shirts if they are in those areas.
The WHO has said that infection with the virus in pregnant women can cause the birth defect microcephaly, in which the brain and head of the baby are undersized, and other severe brain abnormalities.
Also last week, health officials reported that areas of Zika outbreak will likely see an accompanying increase in cases of Guillain-Barre syndrome, which causes temporary paralysis, and has been linked to the virus. But thousands of cases have been documented in Latin America and the Caribbean, with Brazil the epicenter of the outbreak. Scientists have more bad news for us: Zika can infect eyes!
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We know that mosquitos carry Zika, and ditto with blood.
