Earlier this week, The World Health Organization has declared the Zika virus an international public health emergency. The cause behind this is prompted by a growing concern that Zika could cause birth defects. Furthermore, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have aided pregnant women against travel to about two dozen countries, mainly in the Caribbean and Latin America, where the outbreak is spreading.
The Zika Virus is a mosquito-borne virus that was first identified in Uganda in 1947. This disease is caused by a virus transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes. It was initially found in rhesus monkeys and humans through a monitoring network of sylvatic yellow fever in Uganda and the United Republic of Tanzania in 1952, but in the past few weeks it has spreaded to other regions of the globe, such as the United States.
The Zika virus is; a mosquito- transmitted infection related to dengue (a debilitating viral disease of the tropics, transmitted by mosquitoes, and causing sudden fever and acute pains in the joints), yellow fever and West Nile virus. Therefore, few of us have immune defenses against the Zika virus, resulting in a rapid spread.
However, this infection causes no symptoms and leads to no lasting harm to the body. Regardless, the main concern is for women who are infected while pregnant and those who establish a temporary form of paralysis after exposure to the virus.
Zika is spread by mosquitoes of the Aedes genus, which can breed in a pool of water as small as a bottle cap and and most likely bite during the day. Moreover, that mosquito is common in the United States only in Florida, along the Gulf Coast, and in Hawaii. As well as of, in the summer the mosquito ranges as far north as New York and Chicago.
Evidence suggests that Zika is the cause of brain damage in infants in some instances. It may be that other factors, such as simultaneous infection with other viruses may cause this however, as of right now circumstantial confirmation proposes that this is accurate.
Prevention from this disease is difficult, and unfortunately, there is currently no vaccine for the disease. The only advice that can be given is to simply stay away from mosquitoes.