You might have felt a chill down your spine while watching series like the ‘Walking Dead .’ Although such deadly plagues are not real, diseases like Dengue and Chikungunya1 instill real fear.
ZIKA joins the race for Mosquito-Borne viruses.
Despite the size and life time of a mosquito, it is the most dangerous insects in the world that caused large number of deaths in human history.
World Health Organization has pressed their danger alarms, and scientists and biologists are delving into the researches regarding ZIKA in a possible hope to find a remedy or counter mutation for this explosively spreading pandemic.
Here is all the information we need to be aware of ZIKA.
- What is Zika?
Zika2 is a fliva virus that falls on Yellow fever, West Nile, Chikungunya, and Dengue list. Zika virus spreads through mosquito bites (those which have bitten the virus-affected person).
- What are the symptoms?
Unlike other borne viruses, Zika doesn’t explicitly show deadly symptoms. Still, the common side effects observed from the affected patients are fever, rashes, joint pains, and Pink eye problems.
- What are the effects, and who is being affected?
Zika virus causes neurological disorders, especially in pregnant ladies. The babies were observed to be born with reduced head sizes (a disorder called ‘Micrcephaly‘).
- In which part of the World Zika is prominent as of Date?
South America is the majorly affected country, following which 24 countries encountered Zika affected patients, including India. As the disease is ferociously spreading through mosquito bites, people who visit virus-affected places are probably affected by Zika. Brazil was the first country to have encountered ZIKA.
How is Zika spreading?
As of date, the virus spreads through blood transfusion.
Having sexual contact with a person who is Zika-affected is also proved to be a spreading cause.
Research are being undertaken in perspective to check whether the infants are being affected through breastfeeding by mothers who are Zika-affected.
- How To Prevent and Treat Zika?
Avoid traveling to Zika prone areas as listed by CDC (Centre for Disease Control and Prevention).
Stay inside your houses if your respected areas/ countries are affected by Zika.
Apply mosquito repellents all over the body, wear fully covered clothes.
Consult doctors for medication if you are suffering from the symptoms listed by CDC.
- Treatment
Presently there is no vaccine, no treatment methods have been discovered to treat Zika yet.
As the disease does not cause death or severe health issues requiring hospitalization, the risk priority level is flagged below Redline. 
Measures Taken By World Organizations
WHO calls for an emergency meeting next week after the rapid act by CDC, PAHO (Pan American Health Organization).
As there are no vaccines to prevent the virus, steps are being taken to control mosquito breeding in aggressive manners.
Blood donors in Zika-affected areas3 are being requested not to give blood for a month or two until the virus gets under control.
Spread awareness and take preventive measures. For further information, visit the CDC website.
- Pialoux, Gilles, et al. “Chikungunya, an epidemic arbovirosis.” The Lancet infectious diseases 7.5 (2007): 319-327. ↩︎
- Musso, Didier, and Duane J. Gubler. “Zika virus.” Clinical microbiology reviews 29.3 (2016): 487-524. ↩︎
- Germain, Marc, et al. “Mitigation of the threat posed to transfusion by donors traveling to Zika‐affected areas: a Canadian risk‐based approach.” Transfusion 57.10 (2017): 2463-2468. ↩︎
Last Updated on by Namrata
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