Zika Virus

[Miss Alone]

As countries in South and Central America grapple with the Zika virus which has been linked to microcephaly— a birth defect where babies are born with smaller heads which limits brain development — India is preparing for any intrusion of the virus.

The Union health ministry is in the process of getting testing kits for detecting the virus which is spread by the bite of Aedes Aegypti mosquito that also spreads dengue, a disease that has a high prevalence in India.
“We are in the process of procuring testing kits for detecting Zika virus. The government is also writing to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to know more about the infection and prepare accordingly,” said a senior official from the Zoonosis unit of the union ministry of health and family welfare. Sources said the ministry is also establishing protocols to keep a close watch on any “sudden rise” in birth defects in any region of the country.

Reliable sources in the ministry said that in a couple of days, the files regarding the procurement of buying the testing kits will be cleared. India’s preparedness is not unwarranted as Pan American Health Organisation stated that the body anticipates that the virus will con- tinue to spread and will likely reach all regions where Aedes mosquitoes are found. .
In the past two weeks, the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune has prepared itself to offer testing for Zika virus detection. “NIV has molecular test ready, if needed Zika virus suspected acute samples can be tested,” said DT Mourya, director of NIV. When asked about India’s vulnerability to the virus, Dr Mourya cited the example of Yellow Fever which, like Zika, is transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes.
“We have Aedes Aegypti but for ages we don’t have Yellow fever in India. This virus never got introduced in India and never got established as public health problem even in Asia. Similarly, a similar prediction can be made at this moment about Zika virus,” said Dr Mourya. Maharashtra’s health department is waiting for guidelines from the centre on the disease. “We discussed Zika virus in our epidemiology meeting. As we have the vector that spreads the virus it is better to be prepared for any sporadic cases,” said a senior state health official.​

 

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Along came a virus: Here’s why people are panicking about Zika

Just as the world seemed to be coming to terms with incurable ailments such as AIDS and ebola, in flew the aedes aegypti mosquito – also the carrier of dengue, chikungunya and yellow fever – with a whole new challenge for the human race. Named after the Zika forest in Uganda, where it was observed in rhesus monkeys for the first time, the virus is responsible for one of the most alarming health crises to hit Brazil in decades: Thousands of babies are being born with unusually small heads.
Here’s everything you should know about the Zika virus.

What’s with all the panic?

Soon after the virus appeared in Brazil around November last year, the country saw a sharp jump in cases of microcephaly – children born with contracted heads, severely limiting their mental and physical abilities. Officials say they have found 4,180 suspected cases of microcephaly since late October, though only 270 have been confirmed.

What are its symptoms?

Around 2-7 days after getting bitten by an infected mosquito, the affected person is affected by a mild fever accompanied by skin rash, conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain, and general malaise. It lasts no more than a week.

Can a Zika virus infection prove fatal?

Considering that Zika is a new virus with very limited geographical and demographic distribution (at least till now), there is no evidence of it causing fatalities. Nevertheless, there have been reports of people with pre-existing medical conditions being further weakened by the ailment – resulting in their death.

How does the Zika virus spread?

The aedes aegypti mosquito is the most able carrier of the Zika virus. However, it can also be passed on from mother to child, blood transfusion and sex. It is not known to spread through impersonal person-to-person contact.

Does it have a cure?

The infection has no known cure or vaccine. However, its effects can be minimised through symptomatic treatment for pain and fever. Doctors also recommend relaxing and drinking plenty of water to control the fever.

Which countries have fallen to Zika, besides Brazil?

Most of the Zika-hit nations are located in Latin America and the Caribbean. They are Colombia (16,419), Caribbean nations (at least 200), Ecuador (33), Bolivia (4), El Salvador (2,474), Guatemala (68), Mexico (18), Panama (42), Costa Rica (1) and Nicaragua (2).

Can it come to India?

India is particularly vulnerable to mosquito-borne diseases, something aptly demonstrated by the 40,197 dengue cases that cropped up in 2014. All that’s needed by the virus to arrive here is a single Zika-affected person walking out of a plane from Brazil.

 

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WHO may declare Zika epidemic a global health emergency

The World Health Organization’s emergency committee will on Monday debate whether a Zika virus outbreak suspected of causing a surge in serious birth defects in South America should be considered a global health emergency.
The UN health agency warned last week that the mosquito-borne virus was “spreading explosively” in the Americas, with the region expected to see up to four million cases this year.
The WHO is under pressure to act quickly in the fight against Zika, after admitting it was slow to respond to the recent Ebola outbreak that ravaged parts of west Africa.
Although the mosquito-borne virus’s symptoms are relatively mild, it is believed to be linked to a surge in cases of microcephaly, a devastating condition in which a baby is born with an abnormally small head and brain.
While it has yet to be definitely proven that the microcephaly cases are caused in some way by the Zika virus, WHO chief Margaret Chan warned last week the causal relationship was “strongly suspected”.
Zika is also suspected of links to a neurological disorder called Guillain-Barre syndrome.
Brazil, the hardest hit country, sounded the alarm in October, when a rash of microcephaly cases emerged in the northeast.
Since then, there have been 270 confirmed cases of microcephaly and 3,448 suspected cases, up from 147 in 2014.
Amid alarm over the surge in microcephaly cases, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Jamaica and Puerto Rico have even warned women to delay conceiving until the Zika outbreak is brought under control.
Jitters over Zika have spread far beyond the affected areas to Europe and North America, where dozens of cases have been identified among people returning from vacation or business abroad.

Resolute action
In a bid to clarify what the response to the outbreak should be, WHO chief Margaret Chan called for Monday’s closed-door meeting of the organisation’s emergency committee to determine if Zika should be considered a “public health emergency of international concern”.
Taking the form of a telephone conference between senior WHO officials, representatives of affected countries, and experts from around the globe, the meeting is not expected to make its decision public until Tuesday at the earliest.
But the scale of concern is underlined by the WHO emergency session itself -- such consultations are relatively rare.
The UN agency is likely to be eager to be seen taking resolute action on Zika, as it continues to try to live down the stinging criticism of its initially sluggish response to the devastating west Africa Ebola outbreak.
Ebola, which has taken more than 11,000 lives in west Africa since late 2013, was declared a global health emergency in August 2014 and continues to carry that label.
As for Zika, there is currently no treatment and the WHO has said it would likely take more than a year to develop a vaccine.
The virus is transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which also spreads dengue fever and the chikungunya virus. It produces flu-like symptoms including a low-grade fever, headaches, joint pain and rashes.
WHO has so far refrained from issuing travel warnings related to Zika, stressing that the most effective form of prevention is getting rid of stagnant water where mosquitos easily breed, and personal protection against mosquito bites such as using bug repellant and sleeping under mosquito nets.

 

[Miss Alone]

Zika Virus: Here’s Everything You Need To Know

The Zika virus, a mosquito-borne disease suspected of causing serious birth defects, is expected to spread to all countries in the Americas except Canada and Chile, the World Health Organisation announced this week.

The virus is already present in 21 of the 55 countries and territories across the Americas, the WHO said in a statement released on 24 January.

The WHO stressed that the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which carries Zika as well as dengue and chikungunya viruses, is already present in all countries in the Americas besides Canada and Chile. Since people in the region had not been exposed to Zika before it emerged in Brazil last May they lacked immunity, allowing the virus to spread quickly.

Does India need to worry?

1. According to a report in The Indian Express, the only time any trace of the virus was recorded in India was in 1952-53.

2. Antibodies to the Zika virus study titled ‘Neutralising antibodies against certain viruses in the sera of the residents of India’, published in a journal called The Journal of Immunology, recorded among other viruses, antibodies to the Zika virus.

3. The study was conducted in 38 localities in six states in India and tested 15 vector borne viruses. As per the study significant nymbers of sera neutralised the virus.

4. Dr T Mourya, director, National Institute of Virology, Pune, told IE that there have been no outbreaks in India but passive immunity has been traced in Indian samples in the past.”

There have been no reports on this virus in India since the 1952 study.

What is passive immunity and how have Indians developed it against Zika?

1. Passive immunity refers to the process of acquiring immunity against a foreign body-antigen without actual exposure to the virus. To actively acquire immunity, the body’s immune system has to be affected by the virus and fight it off.The virus has never been isolated in India so here is how the Indians might have acquired immunity against it.

2. Dengue, Zika and Chikungunya are spread through a common vector, the Aedes aegypti mosquito.Dengue is however considered to be more violent and stronger relative of Zika.

3. Since people in India have been exposed to these close relatives of Zika, they may have developed antibodies against the virus.

4. According to medical experts since the proteins of all these viruses are similar, the antibodies formed are also simliar.

Why is Zika causing panic?

1. The virus gets its name from the Zika forests of Uganda where it was first reported in 1947.It has so far been confined mainly to Africa, according to the WHO, with “small and sporadic outbreaks in Asia”.

2. Previous outbreaks of the virus have shown that when Zika affects adults, it causes symptoms like any other virus – fever, body ache, rashes, joint pain, reddening of eyes.

3. The Zika virus, which is transmitted by mosquitoes, cannot spread between humans. However, for pregnant women, it can be transmitted to the foetus which can – as recent cases have shown – cause microcephaly.

4. In extreme cases, it is thought to trigger Guillain-Barre syndrome – a nerve disorder that causes muscle weakness and paralysis.

5. In Brazil 4,000 babies have reprotedly been born with abnormally small heads. Pregnant women are reportedly now hoarding insect repellent, refusing to leave their home and shunning dark clothes that may attract mosquitoes. Some are reportedly going to clinics to freeze their eggs until a cure is found for the virus.

6. In Colombia, where an estimated 700,000 people are at risk from infection, women have been told to wait at least six months before getting pregnant. Health officials in Brazil, Ecuador and Jamaica have given similar advice.

7. The World Health Organisation said that the explosive spread of zika virus to new geographical areas, with little population immunity, is cause for concern especially given the possible link between infection during pregnancy and babies born with small heads.

8. Chaotic urban growth, underfunded health services and the widespread use of plastics, which trap rainwater and provide breeding grounds for mosquitoes, have also been blamed for the epidemic.