Cleaveland: Don't take chances with the Zika virus

The SafeSEAL(TM) antimicrobial soft diaphram slips onto any stethoscope effortlessly. Changed only once a week, SafeSEAL(TM)  helps provide protection against harmful bacteria commonly found on stethoscopes. Available in adult, pediatric and infant sizes. (PRNewsFoto)
The SafeSEAL(TM) antimicrobial soft diaphram slips onto any stethoscope effortlessly. Changed only once a week, SafeSEAL(TM) helps provide protection against harmful bacteria commonly found on stethoscopes. Available in adult, pediatric and infant sizes. (PRNewsFoto)
photo Clif Cleaveland

Before last year, the Zika virus was thought to cause only mild symptoms limited to inhabitants of parts of Asia and Africa. In November 2015, however Brazil reported a number of severe birth defects attributable to Zika infection. Worldwide travel advisories for pregnant women have followed.

Zika belongs to a group of viruses that cause yellow fever, dengue and West Nile fever. It was first detected in rhesus monkeys in the Zika Forest in Uganda in 1964, then was found in the Aedes mosquito species. From there, the insects carried it to Nigeria and on to people of all ages in Central Africa, Egypt, India and the Philippines.

Symptoms of Zika infection commonly include fever, headache, a rash and achy joints. Victims usually recover within a day or two, and 80 percent of infected persons don't show any symptoms at all.

Zika became a major threat to public health when Brazilian public health officials reported 1,248 cases of abnormally small heads and various degrees of mental retardation in Brazilian children. The condition is known as microcephaly and is considered a rare disorder.

It was determined that, following infection of the mother by mosquito bite, the virus crossed the placenta in maternal blood and affected the fetus. Some Zika infections resulted in miscarriages, and the virus was discovered in the dead newborns' brain tissue.

A pregnant woman and her fetus may be infected at any point during the pregnancy. Transmission of Zika by blood transfusion also can occur.

The hypothesis is that the virus probably entered Brazil during the 2014 soccer World Cup. Infected visitors may have been bitten by mosquitoes, which then transmitted the virus to Brazilians. Infected mosquitoes also may have been stowaways in luggage brought to Brazil during the tournament. In either case, the new virus spread rapidly among mosquito populations and people in Brazil.

Infections now have been reported in other countries of South and Central America. A few cases in the U.S. have been diagnosed in women who recently traveled to countries in which outbreaks of Zika had occurred.

The World Health Organization predicts that Zika infection will eventually extend to every country in the Americas except Canada and Chile, which currently do not harbor Aedes mosquitoes.

There is no vaccine nor treatment for Zika infection. Because of outbreaks in their countries, officials in Ecuador, Colombia and Jamaica have advised young women to delay pregnancy until such treatment is available.

Intense research is underway to discover the best means to prevent and treat Zika. In the meantime, women who are pregnant or trying to become pregnant should carefully reconsider traveling to countries where outbreaks have occurred. If such journeys are unavoidable, they should protect themselves against mosquito bites throughout the day and evening. Long-sleeved shirts and trousers should be worn and any open skin should be treated with insect repellents approved for use during pregnancy. Sleep should be in air-conditioned or fully screened rooms or protected by mosquito-netting, if these are unavailable.

Despite large areas of instability in our world, public health services continue to function and to share critical information. This network yielded an early alert to a new, dangerous viral infection. Detailed information on Zika infection and up-to-date travel advisories may be found at cdc.gov/zika.

Contact Clif Cleaveland at ccleaveland@timesfreepress.com.

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