COVID-19 has spawned an infinite number of mutations and diseases. The latest one joining the league of the sufferings of the people is Zika Virus Infection, which is typically caused by mosquito bites.
The first Zika virus case of the year has been recorded in Kerala. So, here’s all you need to know about the virus:
Symptoms:
The incubation period for Zika virus illness is believed to be 3–14 days from exposure to onset of symptoms.
- Mild and include fever
- Rash
- Conjunctivitis
- Muscle and joint pain
- Malaise
- Headache.
Symptoms typically last for 2–7 days. Most people with Zika virus infection do not develop symptoms.
Complications of Zika Virus Disease:
- Pregnancy problems such as foetal loss, stillbirth, and premature birth can all arise from Zika infection during pregnancy.
- Infection with the Zika virus can cause Guillain-Barré syndrome, neuropathy, and myelitis, especially in adults and older children.
Transmission:
In tropical and subtropical areas, the Zika virus is predominantly spread through the bite of an infected mosquito of the Aedes genus, especially Aedes aegypti. Dengue, chikungunya, and yellow fever are all spread by the same mosquito.
The Zika virus can also be transmitted from:
- Mother to the foetus during pregnancy
- Via sexual contact
- Blood and blood products transfusions
- Organ donation.
Diagnosis:
- Symptoms of Zika virus infection may be suspected in people who live in or visit locations where Zika virus transmission and/or Aedes mosquito vectors are present.
- Only laboratory testing of blood or other bodily fluids, such as urine or sperm, can establish a diagnosis of Zika virus infection.
Treatment:
Infection with the Zika virus or the illnesses it causes has no known therapy.
There is currently no vaccine available to prevent or treat Zika virus infection. The development of a Zika vaccine is still a work in progress.
Prevention:
- During the day and early evening, protection from mosquito bites is recommended.
- Mosquito bite prevention should be given special attention to pregnant women, women of reproductive age, and small children. They should sleep under mosquito nets.
- Travellers and residents in the impacted areas should take the same measures.
- Wearing light-coloured clothes that cover as much of the body as possible; utilising physical barriers such as window screens and locked doors and windows; applying insect repellent to skin or clothing are all examples of personal protection methods.
- Mosquitoes of the Aedes genus breed in tiny pools of water near houses, schools, and workplaces. Covering water storage containers, eliminating standing water in flower pots, and clearing up garbage and old tyres are all key mosquito breeding places to eliminate.
- To minimise mosquito breeding places, community actions are critical to assist local government and public health programmes.
- To minimise mosquito populations and illness spread, health officials may recommend the use of larvicides and pesticides.
Sometimes it feels like the obstacles are too great to overcome, but the only option is to keep going. Kindly take the prescribed measures and you are good to go!