ZIKA VIRUS : An Overview
Hello Sehpaathians,
As many of you might aware with the latest news related to new Virus i.e. Zika Virus. So, according to us it is the current topic from which there will be 1 or 2 questions may be asked in General Awareness section of all Competitive exams either banking or SSC. SO, we are here with the complete overview of Zika Virus.
What is Zika Virus? This is the most common question that has been causing confusions in our brains.
Zika virus disease (Zika) is a disease caused by the Zika virus, which is spread to people primarily through the bite of an infected Aedes species mosquito.Zika virus was first discovered in 1947 and is named after the Zika Forest in Uganda. In 1952, the first human cases of Zika were detected and since then, outbreaks of Zika have been reported in tropical Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific Islands. Zika outbreaks have probably occurred in many locations. Before 2007, at least 14 cases of Zika had been documented, although other cases were likely to have occurred and were not reported. Because the symptoms of Zika are similar to those of many other diseases, many cases may not have been recognized.
First Outbreak
The first outbreak of the disease outside of Africa and Asia was in April 2007, on the island of Yap in the Federated States of Micronesia. More recently, epidemics have occurred in Polynesia, Easter Island, the Cook Islands and New Caledonia. The Zika fever disease process was relatively mild. There were 49 confirmed and 59 unconfirmed cases of Zika with no deaths and Hospitalizations.
Symptoms:
- Most people infected with Zika virus won’t even know they have the disease because they won’t have symptoms. The most common symptoms of Zika are fever, rash, joint pain, or conjunctivitis (red eyes). Other common symptoms include muscle pain and headache. The incubation period (the time from exposure to symptoms) for Zika virus disease is not known, but is likely to be a few days to a week.
- See your doctor or other healthcare provider if you are pregnant and develop a fever, rash, joint pain, or red eyes within 2 weeks after travelling to a place where Zika has been reported. Be sure to tell your doctor or other healthcare provider where you travelled.
- The illness is usually mild with symptoms lasting for several days to a week.
- People usually don’t get sick enough to go to the hospital, and they very rarely die of Zika. For this reason, many people might not realize they have been infected.
- Zika virus usually remains in the blood of an infected person for about a week but it can be found longer in some people.
- Once a person has been infected, he or she is likely to be protected from future infections.
Diagnosis:
- The symptoms of Zika are similar to those of dengue and chikungunya, diseases spread through the same mosquitoes that transmit Zika.
- See your doctor or other healthcare provider if you develop the symptoms described above and have visited an area where Zika is found.
- If you have recently travelled, tell your doctor or other healthcare provider when and where you travelled.
- Your doctor or other healthcare provider may order blood tests to look for Zika or other similar viruses like dengue or chikungunya.
Treatment:
- There is no vaccine to prevent or medicine to treat Zika virus.
- Treat the symptoms:
- Get plenty of rest.
- Drink fluids to prevent dehydration.
- Take medicine such as acetaminophen (Tylenol®) or paracetamol to reduce fever and pain.
- Do not take aspirin and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) until dengue can be ruled out to reduce the risk of bleeding.
- If you are taking medicine for another medical condition, talk to your doctor or other healthcare provider before taking additional medication.
- If you have Zika, prevent mosquito bites for the first week of your illness.
- During the first week of infection, Zika virus can be found in the blood and passed from an infected person to a mosquito through mosquito bites.
- An infected mosquito can then spread the virus to other people.
Zika Virus in India:
As the first case was reportedly confirmed in the USA, other countries, including India, raised an alert to prevent the spread of the mosquito-borne virus. India needs to be particularly conscious to Prevent Zika Virus Spread since the mosquito that carries the virus actually thrives in the country. The same mosquito that is the carrier of this infection is dominant in India.
Guidelines Regarding Zika in India:
The WHO has listed 22 Countries and territories in Americas from where local transmission of Zika Virus has been reported.
In order to tackle this problem Government of India has issued these Guidelines:
- All the international airports and ports will display signage with information on the disease. Travellers will be asked to report to customs if they are returning from affected countries and suffering from febrile illness.
- Rapid Response Teams (RRTs) shall be activated at central and Central and State Surveillance units with each team comprising a team of medical specialists.
- Non-essential travel to the affected countries to be deferred or cancelled, pregnant women or expecting women should defer or cancel their travel to the affected areas.
- Airports or ports would have quarantine or isolation facilities while Directorate General of Civil Aviation will be asked to instruct all international airlines to follow the recommended aircraft disinfection.
Hope you have enjoyed reading this article on “Zika Virus”
