Africa, beware of Zika Virus!
ZIKA virus is sweeping across the globe,
and it’s coming for the babies!While
Lassa fever is busy operating in West
Africa, Zika virus is ravaging Central
and South America.
The virus is linked to thousands of cases
of microcephaly, a serious birth defect
occurs in the baby’s brain, leading to
permanent disability and other health
problems. The crisis has generated panic
in affected countries, such as El
Salvador, where the government recently
called on the population to avoid
pregnancy for at least two years. That’s
too much you may say, but that’s how
serious the issue of the virus is. Babies
are snuggly and cute, fun to play with!
But Zika is posing a big threat to their
growth and wellbeing.
Caused by a virus transmitted by Aedes
mosquitoes according to experts, the Zika
virus is known to be transmitted from a
mother to her baby during pregnancy.
According to medical professionals, Zika
virus has an incubation period of about
three to 12 days after a bite by an
infected mosquito. The virus is usually
asymptomatic in roughly 80 per cent of
individuals who have been infected, and
its symptoms typically include fever,
rash, joint pain, conjunctivitis, muscle
pain and headache.
From whence comes this plague? The
virus was reportedly first isolated in
April 1947 from a rhesus macaque
monkey that had been placed in a cage
in the Zika Forest (zika meaning
“overgrown” in the Luganda language of
Uganda), near Lake Victoria by the
scientists of the Yellow Fever Research
Institute. In 1968 it was isolated for the
first time fromhumans in Nigeria. From
1951 through 1981, evidence of human
infection was reported from other
African countries such as the Central
African
Republic, Egypt, Gabon, Sierra Leone,
Tanzania, and Uganda, as well as in
parts of Asia including India, Indonesia,
Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and
Vietnam. In April 2007 the first outbreak
outside of Africa and Asia occurred on
the island of Yap in the
Federated States of Micronesia.
Since April 2015, a large, ongoing
outbreak of Zika virus that began
in Brazil has spread to Colombia, El
Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala,
Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico,
Panama, Paraguay,
Puerto Rico, Suriname, and Venezuela.
According to the Center For Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC), Brazilian
health authorities reported more than
3,500 microcephaly cases between
October 2015 and January 2016.
Some of the affected infants have had a
severe type of microcephaly and some
have died. More studies are planned to
learn more about the risks of Zika virus
infection during pregnancy. In the worst
affected region of Brazil approximately
one percent of newborns are suspected
of microcephaly.
Currently having no specific treatment
or preventive vaccinations, the
WellBeing Foundation Africa in its
campaign has also recommended that
preventive personal measures such as
avoiding mosquito bites, and using
mosquito repellents and insecticide-
treated mosquito nets can offer a degree
of protection against the disease. Apart
from pregnant women and their babies,
Zika virus can affect anyone who lives or
travels to any area where the virus is
found. Therefore to curtail transmission,
travel alerts have been issued for
pregnant women and women trying to
conceive, who might be planning to
travel to affected regions.
Mosquitoes that spread Zika virus bite
mostly during the daytime and also
spread dengue and chikungunya viruses
therefore, when traveling to countries
where Zika virus or other viruses spread
by mosquitoes are found, the following
steps should be taken: Wear long-sleeved
shirts and long pants. Stay in places with
air conditioning or that use window and
door screens to keep mosquitoes outside.
Sleep under a mosquito bednet if you are
overseas or outside and are not able to
protect yourself from mosquito bites.
Use of insect repellent is also advisable.
Dress your child in clothing that covers
arms and legs, or a cover crib, stroller,
and baby carrier with mosquito nets.
The use of insect repellent on babies
younger than two months should be
avoided.
Africa as a continent is yet to recover
from the spread and effects of
Ebola and Lassa fever, that is why she
can’t afford the spread of another deadly
disease at a time like this. Prevention is
better than cure. Africa must beware of
Zika Virus.
0 Comments :
COMMENT