Dengue, chikungunya, and Zika, are transmitted by their common vector, Aedes, which is found mostly in tropical regions. The virus is found in the salivary gland of the mosquito and can be transferred to humans when an infected mosquito bites.
There are a number of climatic and environmental factors influencing the transmission and dynamics of transmission, such as the immunity factor in humans and the interaction between the pathogen and the host.
Dengue, chikungunya and Zika, all of them have common symptoms that make it difficult to diagnose it. Zika, chikungunya and dengue viruses share the same mosquito vector. Their symptoms and signs are also similar, which makes it indistinguishable even in the clinical grounds. Nevertheless, there are a few differences which can help in differentiating the diseases and prevent any kind of misdiagnoses. Caripill dosage is given to patients for immediate relief. The medicine is made from papaya leaf extracts, and it does not have any side effects.
The symptoms of Chikungunya can confuse anyone with the critical phase of dengue, and this often leads to misdiagnosis. Commonly, the symptoms include a rash, fever, joint, and muscle pain. As of now, there is no particular vaccine that curbs the disease and that is why treatment is directed towards reducing the symptoms.
Furthermore, with a diagnostic test, the complications can be prevented, managed and the complications can be reduced.
For instance, dengue-infected patients need to be checked for hemorrhagic fever. And chikungunya patients should be checked and treated for post-infectious chronic arthritis and acute arthralgia. And for Zika virus infection needs special care as it can result into birth defects during pregnancy.
Simply put, Dengue, chikungunya and Zika viruses can cause serious health issues with almost similar clinical images. And it requires specific treatment to manage the patient and the complications resulting from the disease.
However, a misdiagnosis can have a huge effect on the overall treatment, how the signs and symptoms are relieved and can result in serious complications.
Misdiagnosis can be prevented with the help of the diagnostic procedures. However, if you are aware of the underlying symptoms of all the three diseases, it might help in the correct diagnoses of the disease.
Let’s have a look at the symptoms of all the three diseases to make it easier for you to comprehend on your own.
Chikungunya is widespread is the majority of the countries in Asia, Africa and Europe. The symptoms of chikungunya can show up between 3 and 7 days of being bitten by the mosquito.
How to Know If You Have Chikungunya?
Some of the common symptoms include-
High temperature/fever
Acute joint pain on feet, hands, wrists, ankles, and feet in most of the cases
In some cases, people recover fully. Whereas in some cases, the joint pain can last for weeks and months and even 3 years, depending on the condition of the disease.
Major Symptoms of Chikungunya
A persistent headache
Severe back pain
Muscular pain
Maculopapular rashes on the skin (in the initial 48 hours, mainly on the hands, feet, and trunk)
Sometimes, Chikungunya might result in the following symptoms
Fatigue
Swelling
Conjunctivitis
Vomit/ Nausea
A sore throat
Photophobia
Chikungunya is not considered as a fatal disease, but sometimes it can result into serious complications in children, elderly people and people with lower immunity.
How to Know Zika Virus Disease Symptoms?
As per the WHO reports, the incubation period of Zika virus disease is approximately between 3 and 14 days.
In most of the cases, infected people do not get any symptoms. However, some of the common signs are muscle pain, rash, fever, and headache lasting from more than 2 to 7 days.
Pregnant women infected with Zika virus need immediate medical treatment to avoid any complications in the baby within the womb.
Some of the common symptoms of Zika virus infection include:
Arthralgia
Fatigue
Low-grade fever
A headache
Maculopapular skin rash on face and spreading on the body
Itching
Mild joint pain ( in some cases it can extend to more than a month)
Red eyes
Sometimes, the disease might result in the following symptoms
Guillain-Barré
Muscular pain
Swelling (hands, feet, and legs)
Gastro-intestinal problems such as diarrhea and vomit
Retro-orbital pain behind the eyes
A sore throat
Ganglion cysts
The symptoms of Zika virus are usually mild and most of the patients recover fully without any major complications.
How to Detect Dengue Fever?
It is a viral infection that is transmitted by a mosquito bite (infected mosquito). The infections can result in minor and major symptoms. If not diagnosed and treated properly, it can be fatal also.
Proper diagnosis is important to prevent deaths. As per the WHO reports, almost half of the world’s population is vulnerable to this disease. Approximately, 5 lakh people with severe dengue symptoms require hospitalization every year. And, it results in 2.5% deaths out of all the cases every year.
The period of incubation ranges between 3 and 14 days after being bitten by an infected mosquito.
Some of the common symptoms include:
High fever
Itching
A severe headache
Pain in joints
Severe muscular pain
Reduced white cell counts
Retro-orbital pain behind the eyes
Fatigue
Skin maculopapular rash (prominent after 2 to 5 days of fever)
Weakness
Nausea
Loss of taste and appetite
Sometimes, dengue might result in the following symptoms-
Bleeding from gums and nose
Vomiting
Dizziness
Difficulty in breathing
Abdominal pain
Bad temper
Somnolence
Hypotension
Vomiting blood
Mild symptoms of dengue can sometimes be mistaken with a viral infection and common flu. People with low immunity and believed to be at a higher risk of developing dengue hemorrhagic fever. It is a rare condition resulting in hemorrhage bleeding, and even shock and death within 24 hours. It is called dengue shock syndrome).
In a Nutshell!
It is important to diagnose Dengue, Zika, and Chikungunya as there is no particular cure for these diseases. It depends on the patient’s immune system and how he is able to fight the symptoms.
Timely diagnosis and the right treatment can helps to relive the symptoms.
There is no commercial vaccine for these infections. Any exposure to mosquitos should be avoided in the initial days of catching the infection. It will avoid spreading it further to other people. And, do not attempt to treat the disease with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and aspirin as it will increase the risk of the hemorrhagic syndrome.
If you feel any of the above-mentioned symptoms, you must seek medical help.
Senate Democrats have blocked the $1.1 billion plan to fight the Zika virus for a third time after Republicans sought to stop funding for pro-abortion group Planned Parenthood.
Lawmakers say they hope the issue will be resolved later this month as part of a bipartisan spending package.
The 52-46 vote came as Florida health officials announced seven more locally transmitted cases of Zika.
Florida has now reported 56 locally transmitted cases of Zika, which is often spread by mosquitoes.
Florida officials have called on lawmakers to release funds to help fight the spread of the disease, which is linked to severe birth defects in pregnant women.
The Republican-backed Senate bill included a provision that would have prevented Planned Parenthood in Puerto Rico from receiving new funding to fight the spread of the Zika virus, which can be s**ually transmitted.
Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, a Democrat from Nevada, said Republicans were “more interested in attacking Planned Parenthood” than “protecting women and babies from this awful virus”.
Democrats blocked similar funding measures in June and July before Congress left for the summer recess.
Before the vote, Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell blamed his Democratic counterparts: “It’s hard to explain why, despite their own calls for funding, Democrats would block plans to keep women and babes safe from Zika.”
Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan has indicated that lawmakers will work to include funding for Zika in a budget deal or a continuing resolution that Congress must pass to avoid a government shutdown at the end of September.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that it had spent nearly all of the $22 million allocated to the agency in the fight against Zika.
As of late August, there were more than 2,700 cases in United States and more than 14,000 in US territories, most of which were reported in Puerto Rico.
A new case of Zika contracted in Florida is being investigated by the Department of Health.
The patient lives in West Palm Beach County about 70 miles north of the initial transmission zone.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott said the state officials still believe that active transmission zone for the virus is one square mile in Wynwood neighborhood in North Miami.
The infected person had recently traveled to the Miami area.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) previously issued a travel warning for the neighborhood, particularly focused on pregnant women.
Zikavirus is known to cause a severe birth defect called microcephaly, which can infants to develop abnormally small heads.
With the school year about to begin, Gov. Rick Scott said the state is sending mosquito repellent to school districts in affected and neighboring counties.
The outreach covers primary school through public universities.
In Miami, where 16 locally transmitted cases of Zika have been confirmed, the authorities have sprayed against mosquitoes and tried to remove standing water, where the insects breed.
Authorities have also encouraged the public at large to use insect repellent on their own.
Three types of vaccine have been shown to be completely protective against the Zika virus.
Scientists found all three offered protection in tests on rhesus monkeys.
Zika virus has been deemed a public health emergency, because it can cause serious birth defects.
Photo AFP/Getty Images
Teams around the world are working to design a vaccine that can be given to people, but it is likely to be years before any is ready for widespread use.
More than 60 countries and territories now have continuing transmission of Zika virus, which is carried by mosquitoes.
The scientists in this latest study used three different approaches often used in vaccine development – one was an inactive, and therefore harmless, replica of the virus and two others used parts of the Zika virus’s genetic code.
All three offered complete protection and none were linked to major side-effects.
American scientists, including experts from the military, say their results mark a further promising step forward in the search for a jab against the Zika virus.
The next step will be early trials, possibly later this year, to establish that the vaccine is safe and effective in humans.
The first Zika cases contracted within the US has been reported after four people were diagnosed with the virus in Florida, health officials say.
So far, cases outside of Latin America and the Caribbean, where the Zika virus is prevalent, have been spread by travel to that region or sexual transmission.
The four Florida cases mean US mosquitoes may be carrying the Zika virus.
Zika causes only a mild illness in most people but the virus has been linked to severe brain defects in newborns.
The Florida department of health said “a high likelihood exists that four cases are the result of local transmission”, centered on one small area just north of downtown Miami.
Photo AFP/Getty Images
More than 1,650 cases of Zika have so far been detected in the United States, but the Florida cases would be the first in the US not involving foreign travel.
Two of those suffering from the virus are in Miami-Dade county and the other two in neighboring Broward county. They are the most densely populated counties in Florida.
Governor Rick Scott said the cases involved three men and a woman, and that none had been hospitalized.
To confirm whether Zika is being carried by mosquitoes locally, scientists are surveying houses and people within a 150-yard radius of the cases, the flying distance of the insect.
In February, the WHO declared the Zika virus a global public health emergency because of the risk to newborn children.
In severe cases, children can die and babies who survive can face intellectual disability and developmental delays.
Gov. Rick Scott asked all residents of affected areas to get rid of standing water, where mosquitoes thrive, and for residents to wear insect repellent.
Once considered not so serious, Zika Virus is fast becoming a nightmare. People with Zika infections have symptoms that can include mild fever, skin rash, conjunctivitis, muscle pain, joint pain and headache. In the last two years, national health authorities of Brazil and French Polynesia reported potential neurological and auto-immune complications of Zika virus disease. In Brazil, the authorities also observed an increase in Guillain-Barre syndrome (an autoimmune disorder that can lead to life-threatening paralysis) which coincided with Zika virus infections in the general public, as well as an increase in babies born with microcephaly in northeast Brazil.
In Brazil, over 1200 microcephaly cases were recorded in 2015. The tenfold rise in a year time is believed to be connected with a spreading of the Zika Virus in South America in recent years.
Recently, studies published on Zika virus by UCLA finds significant genetic changes in the strain compared with one discovered 70 years back. The researchers are tracing the genetic mutation to understand how the transmission happens from person to person and how the virus causes different
Zika virus is transmitted through the vector Aedes aegypti, the same mosquito that transmits dengue, chikungunya, and yellow fever. Also, sexual transmission of Zika virus is possible. The possibility of transmission via blood is being investigated.
More than 50% of the world population lives in regions where mosquitos are prevalent and Aedes aegypti population is extremely difficult to control. This puts the larger part of the population living in tropical and developing countries at much larger risk.
The World Health Organization (WHO) promotes the elimination of mosquito breeding sites as the most effective way of protecting people from Zika, Dengue, Chikungunya and Yellow fever. Usage of repellents for personal protection against mosquito bites is also recommended. Fogging is advocated only in an emergency and is advised to be carried out only during the hours around dawn and dusk when mosquito activity is most intense. WHO is also exploring newer methods (currently in trials) to bring down the population of the vector in regions severely infected by Zika virus.
In 2016, Spain confirmed that a pregnant woman has been diagnosed with the Zika virus, first such case in Europe. Previously, European countries including Ireland and Denmark reported Zika-virus infections in the country, but not in pregnant women.
Zika virus in the United States and other countries are mainly linked to people travelling to and from Brazil. In the period between September 2009 and August 2015, the number of travelers from Brazil to the United States was nearly 2.8 million.
Given the growing severity of this infectious disease, there is a fair number of drug developers looking into a possible Zika virus cure. Some of the notable ones are Inovio Pharma, NewLink Genetics, Sanofi, GlaxoSmithKline, and Cerus. The possible cure is expected to be available in the form of vaccines according to various sources within the pharmaceutical industry.
Intrexon, a company involved in biologic insect controls, has developed genetically modified male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes focused on passing a genetic mutation to the next generation of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. This new genetic insertion kills the new generation of mosquitoes before they reach the reproductive adult stage. The pest control method by Intrexon was announced environmentally safe by The Food and Drug Administration in March 2016. This could really be the start of Zika-virus combat mission.
Brazil has deployed more than 220,000 soldiers across the country to warn people about the risks of the Zika virus.
The South American country is at the center of an outbreak of the Zika virus, which has been linked to a surge in babies being born with underdeveloped brains.
Brazil has 462 confirmed cases of microcephaly, and is investigating another 3,852 suspected cases.
Troops will hand out 4 million leaflets advising people about the risks of the virus, carried by mosquitoes.
However, critics have said the move would not helping reduce mosquito numbers or stop the spread of Zika.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared a global public health emergency over the possible connection between Zika and microcephaly, a condition marked by abnormally small heads in newborn babies that can result in developmental problems.
The link with Zika has not been confirmed, but the WHO and other public health bodies have said it is strongly suspected.
On February 12, the WHO said it expected that a link would be established within weeks between Zika, microcephaly and another neurological disorder, Guillain-Barre syndrome.
The microcephaly cases have been centered in north-east Brazil, but the Zika outbreak has affected people in more than 20 countries in the Americas.
Some governments have advised women to delay getting pregnant. Already-pregnant women have been advised not to travel to the countries affected.
Rio de Janeiro is to host the Olympic Games in August. A diving test event is to take place in the city next week, and organizers said on February 12 that some of the 270 athletes taking part had expressed their concern over the Zika virus.
Brazil expects to develop a vaccine for the Zika virus in about a year, health officials say.
However, two more years would be needed for any large-scale rollout, health minister Marcelo Castro said.
Brazil is at the center of an outbreak of the Zika virus that has been linked to a surge of brain malformations in newborn babies.
Separately, officials have said the death of a third adult in Brazil had possible links to Zika.
Marcelo Castro announced that Brazil would invest $1.9 million in research for the Zika vaccine over the next five years, in partnership with scientists at the University of Texas.
Researchers have agreed that the testing of the vaccine would happen simultaneously in mice and monkeys, and not separately, to speed up the process, he said.
Photo AFP/Getty Images
A vaccine could be ready for distribution within three years, Marcelo Castro added.
The World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global public health emergency over the possible connection between Zika and microcephaly, a condition marked by abnormally small heads in newborn babies that can result in developmental problems.
The link with Zika has not been confirmed, but the WHO and other public health bodies have said it is strongly suspected.
Brazil has seen more than 4,000 suspected cases of microcephaly since October – a huge surge considering it had fewer than 150 cases in the whole of 2014.
Officials there believe as many as 1.5 million people could be infected by Zika.
Brazil has also announced a partnership with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for studies about the possible relation between the virus and the condition.
The microcephaly cases have been centered in north-east Brazil, but the Zika outbreak has affected people in more than 20 countries in the Americas.
Some governments have advised women to delay getting pregnant. Already-pregnant women have been advised not to travel to the countries affected.
Brazilian researchers found the Zika virus in the body of a 20-year-old woman who died last April from respiratory problems in the north-eastern state of Rio Grande do Norte, the health minister said.
Two other patients last year also died from complications while they were infected with the virus, before the outbreak had been discovered.
“We are still studying this in greater detail,” Marcelo Castro said at a press conference.
WHO director general, Margaret Chan, is expected to visit Brazil on February 23, Brazil’s health minister said.
President Barack Obama will ask the US Congress for $1.8 billion in emergency funding to combat the Zika virus.
The Zika virus, which is transmitted primarily through mosquitoes, has spread rapidly through the Americas.
It has been linked to a condition called microcephaly, in which babies are born with underdeveloped brains.
The money will go to mosquito control efforts and vaccine research programs among other initiatives.
The White House says that some of the money will go towards “enhancing the ability of Zika-affected countries to better combat mosquitoes and control transmission” of the virus.
The Zika virus is currently being transmitted to new patients in 26 countries in the Americas, according to the Pan American Health Organization.
Additionally, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has confirmed 50 cases of the virus in the United States among people who had travelled to affected regions and returned to the US.
There is a growing fear that as warmer months approach in the northern hemisphere and mosquitoes become active, local transmission could become a problem – especially in the southern US.
Last week, the first case of locally transmitted Zika was reported in Dallas, Texas. Notably, the virus was spread in this case through sexual contact, not a mosquito bite.
The Zika virus has had a considerable impact in Brazil, which has seen a spike in microcephaly cases – totaling around 4,000 in recent months, stirring fears ahead of the 2016 Rio Olympics.
The World Health Organization (WHO) declared an emergency over the cases last week, prompting research and aid to be fast-tracked.
The Reuters news agency reported that the US Olympic Committee has told its athletes and staff who are concerned about the virus to consider skipping the games.
However, the Zika virus did not keep revelers home from Carnival in Rio de Janeiro over the weekend – some 70,000 fans were said to have been in attendance.
A pregnant woman has been diagnosed with the Zika virus in Spain, the health ministry confirmed.
This is the first such case reported in Europe.
Spain’s health ministry said the woman had recently returned from Colombia, where it is believed she was infected.
Zika, which is spreading through the Americas, has been linked to babies being born with underdeveloped brains.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the microcephaly condition, linked to the Zika virus, a global public health emergency.
On February 4, the WHO also advised countries not to accept blood donations from people who had traveled to Zika-affected regions, the AFP news agency reported.
In a statement, the Spanish health ministry said the pregnant woman was diagnosed as having Zika in the north-eastern Catalonia region.
The ministry did not release the woman’s name, saying she was one of seven confirmed cases in Spain.
It said two more patients were in Catalonia, two in Castile and Leon, one in Murcia and one in the capital Madrid.
“All are in good health,” the ministry added.
The ministry also stressed that “the diagnosed cases of Zika virus in Spain… don’t risk spreading the virus in our country as they are imported cases”.
The World Health Organization is holding an emergency meeting in Geneva to discuss the “explosive” spread of the Zika virus.
The meeting will decide whether to declare a global emergency.
According to WHO officials, Zika as moving “from a mild threat to one of alarming proportions”.
Most cases will have no symptoms but the virus has been linked to brain abnormalities in thousands of babies in Brazil.
Meanwhile Brazilian officials have been given permission to break into properties that could be harboring mosquito breeding grounds.
They will be able to force entry when the place is abandoned or when nobody is there to give access to the house.
Declaring a “public health emergency of international concern” would establish Zika as a serious global threat and lead to money, resources and scientific expertise being thrown at the problem both in South America and in laboratories around the world.
The WHO’s actions are under intense scrutiny after its handling of the outbreak of Ebola in West Africa.
Its efforts to prevent the spread of the virus were widely criticized and it was deemed to have been too slow to declare an emergency.
At the meeting, experts in disease control, virology and vaccine development will brief WHO director general Dr. Margaret Chan.
Last week, Margaret Chan said: “The level of concern is high, as is the level of uncertainty.
“Questions abound – we need to get some answers quickly.
“For all these reasons, I have decided to convene an emergency committee.
“I am asking the committee for advice on the appropriate level of international concern and for recommended measures that should be undertaken in affected countries and elsewhere.”
Since the mosquito-borne disease was first detected in Brazil in May 2015, the Zika virus has spread to more than 20 countries.
The Zika pregnancy cases have doubled in Colombia in just one week, officials said.
According to Colombia’s National Health Institute, almost 2,000 pregnant women now have the virus out of the more than 20,000 people infected across the country.
The mosquito-borne virus has been linked to babies being born with abnormally small brains.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned Zika is “spreading explosively”, predicting up to 4 million cases this year.
Colombia says it expects the overall number of people to be infected to rise to more than 500,000 by the end of 2016.
On February 1, the WHO meets to decide whether Zika should be treated as a global emergency.
Brazil has been worst affected by the outbreak, followed by Colombia, but more than 20 other countries have seen cases.
Jamaica and Peru reported their first confirmed cases over the weekend, with Peruvian President Ollanta Humala urging calm and stressing that the patient contracted the disease outside of the country.
Zika symptoms are mild, causing a low fever, joint pain, headaches, a rash and conjunctivitis.
Concern surrounds a surge in babies born with microcephaly, or abnormally small heads, from mothers infected with Zika. A link has not been confirmed.
Colombia has also said it has seen an increase in cases of Guillain-Barre syndrome, a rare disorder that can cause temporary paralysis, that has also been linked to Zika.
The Zika outbreak has sparked health warnings and eradication campaigns, with Brazil deploying troops and Colombia launching a mass fumigation campaign to fight mosquitoes.
Colombia and other Latin American countries have advised women to delay getting pregnant for the moment.
The Zika virus is spread by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which also carries dengue fever and yellow fever.
It was first discovered in Africa in the 1940s but is now spreading in Latin America
Scientists say there is growing evidence of a link to microcephaly that leads to babies being born with small heads.
The Zika virus can lead to fever and a rash but most people show no symptoms, and there is no known cure.
The only way to fight Zika is to clear stagnant water where mosquitoes breed, and protect against mosquito bites.
Zika was first detected in Uganda in 1947, but has never caused an outbreak on this scale.
Brazil reported the first cases of Zika in South America in May 2015.
Most cases result in no symptoms and it is hard to test for, but WHO officials said between 500,000 and 1.5 million people had been infected in Brazil.
The Zika virus has since spread to more than 20 countries in the region.
Between three and four million people could be infected with Zika virus in the Americas in 2016, the World Health Organization (WHO) predicts.
Most will not develop symptoms, but the Zika virus, spread by mosquitoes, has been linked to brain defects in babies.
Meanwhile the US says it hopes to start vaccine trials in people by the end of the year.
According to WHO director general Dr. Margaret Chan, Zika had gone “from a mild threat to one of alarming proportions”.
Dr. Margaret Chan has set up a Zika “emergency team” after the “explosive” spread of the virus.
The emergency team will meet on February 1 to decide whether Zika should be treated as a global emergency.
The last time an international emergency was declared was for the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, which has killed more than 11,000 people.
Zika was first detected in Uganda in 1947, but has never caused an outbreak on this scale.
Brazil reported the first cases of Zika in South America in May 2015.
Most cases result in no symptoms and it is hard to test for, but WHO officials said between 500,000 and 1.5 million people had been infected in Brazil.
The virus has since spread to more than 20 countries in the region.
At the same time there has been a steep rise in levels of microcephaly – babies born with abnormally small heads – and the rare nervous system disorder Guillain-Barre syndrome.
The link between the virus and these disorders has not been confirmed, but Dr. Margaret Chan said it was “strongly suspected” and was “deeply alarming”.
She also warned the situation could yet deteriorate as “this year’s El Nino weather patterns are expected to increase mosquito populations greatly in many areas”.
One hospital in Recife, north-east Brazil, had gone from dealing with an average of five cases of microcephaly a year to 300 in the past six months.
Earlier, doctors writing in the Journal of the American Medical Association said Zika had “explosive pandemic potential” and said the WHO’s failure to act swiftly on Ebola probably cost thousands of lives.
In a statement to the executive board meeting of the WHO, Dr. Margaret Chan said: “The level of concern is high, as is the level of uncertainty.
“Questions abound – we need to get some answers quickly.
“For all these reasons, I have decided to convene an Emergency Committee.
“I am asking the Committee for advice on the appropriate level of international concern and for recommended measures that should be undertaken in affected countries and elsewhere.”
Officials from the US National Institute of Health (NIH) said they had two potential Zika vaccines in development.
One that is based on an experimental West Nile vaccine could be repurposed for Zika and enter clinical trials by the end of 2016, Dr. Anthony Fauci from NIH said.
Dr. Anthony Fauci said talks were already taking place with pharmaceutical companies, but a vaccine would not be widely available for several years.
Meanwhile Dr. Anne Schuchat, from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) confirmed there had been 31 cases of Zika in the US – all linked to travel to the affected areas.
At a news conference, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the US response to the virus so far had been “consistent with the kind of threat that could be out there”.
“At this point, here in the United States, the risk of a disease spread by mosquitoes is quite low, the January temperatures in North America are quite inhospitable to the mosquito populations.”
“But, obviously that’s going to change,” he added.
Dr. Carissa Etienne, the regional-director for the WHO Pan American Health Organization, said the link between the abnormalities and Zika had not been confirmed.
American specialists have urged the World Health Organization (WHO) to take urgent action over the Zika virus, which they say has “explosive pandemic potential”.
Writing in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the scientists called on the WHO to heed lessons from the Ebola outbreak and convene an emergency committee of disease experts.
They said a vaccine might be ready for testing in two years but it could be a decade before it is publicly available.
Zika, linked to birth defects as microcephaly, has caused panic in Brazil.
Thousands of people have been infected there and it has spread to some 20 countries.
Brazilian President Dilma Roussef has urged Latin America to unite in combating the virus.
Dilma Rousseff told a summit in Ecuador that sharing knowledge about the disease was the only way that it would be beaten. A meeting of regional health ministers has been called for next week.
In the JAMA article, Daniel R. Lucey and Lawrence O. Gostin say the WHO’s failure to act early in the recent Ebola crisis probably cost thousands of lives.
They warn that a similar catastrophe could unfold if swift action is not taken over the Zika virus.
“An Emergency Committee should be convened urgently to advise the Director-General about the conditions necessary to declare a Public Health Emergency of International Concern,” Daniel R. Lucey and Lawrence O. Gostin wrote.
They added: “The very process of convening the committee would catalyze international attention, funding, and research.”
White House spokesman Josh Earnest said on January 27 the US government intended to make a more concerted effort to communicate with Americans about the risks associated with the virus.
There is no cure for the Zika virus and the hunt is on for a vaccine, led by scientists at the University of Texas Medical Branch.
The researchers have visited Brazil to carry out research and collect samples and are now analyzing them in a suite of high-security laboratories in Galveston, Texas.
Brazil will deploy 220,000 troops in its fight against mosquitoes spreading the Zika virus.
The troops will go from home to home handing out leaflets on how to avoid the spread of Zika, which has been linked to thousands of babies being born with underdeveloped brains.
The announcement came after Brazil’s Health Minister Marcelo Castro said the country was “losing badly” in its fight against the virus.
No treatment or vaccine is available.
Marcelo Castro said the troops would be sent out on February 13 to hand out leaflets and give advice on how to eradicate mosquito breeding grounds.
The health minister told O Globo newspaper that the spread of the Zika virus was one of the greatest public health crises in Brazilian history.
The fight against Zika could only be won if people did their bit to eradicate the Aedes Aegypti mosquito which transmits it, Marcelo Castro said.
He added that the mosquito, which also transmits dengue, chikungunya and yellow fever, was Brazil’s “public enemy number one”.
“Last year we had the highest number of dengue cases in the history of Brazil,” Marcelo Castro said.
“We’re losing badly in the battle against the mosquito.”
The World Health Organization (WHO) warned on January 25 that the Zika virus was likely to spread across nearly all of the Americas.
Symptoms include mild fever, conjunctivitis and headache and the virus has already been found in 21 countries in the Caribbean, North and South America.
However, what the authorities are most worried about is the damage the virus can potentially cause babies in the womb.
Brazil has recorded a huge spike in cases of babies born with microcephaly and a number of Central and South American nations have asked women to delay pregnancy.
There have been 3,893 reported cases of microcephaly in Brazil since October compared with the previous annual average of just 160 cases.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that Zika virus is likely to spread across nearly all of the Americas.
The Zika virus, which causes symptoms including mild fever, conjunctivitis and headache, has already been found in 21 countries in the Caribbean, North and South America.
It has been linked to thousands of babies being born with underdeveloped brains and some countries have advised women not to get pregnant.
No treatment or vaccine is available.
The Zika virus was first detected in 1947 in monkeys in Africa. There have since been small, short-lived outbreaks in people on the continent, parts of Asia and in the Pacific Islands.
It has spread on a massive scale in the Americas, where transmission was first detected in Brazil in May 2015.
Large numbers of the mosquitoes which carry the virus and a lack of any natural immunity is thought to be helping the infection to spread rapidly.
Zika is transmitted by the bite of Aedes mosquitoes, which are found in all countries in the region except Canada and Chile.
Photo AFP
In a statement, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the regional office of the WHO, said: “PAHO anticipates that Zika virus will continue to spread and will likely reach all countries and territories of the region where Aedes mosquitoes are found.”
PAHO is advising people to protect themselves from the mosquitoes, which also spread dengue fever and chikungunya.
It also confirmed the virus had been detected in semen and there was “one case of possible person-to-person transmission” but further evidence was still needed.
Around 80% of infections do not result in symptoms.
However, the biggest concern is the potential impact on babies developing in the womb. There have been around 3,500 reported cases of microcephaly – babies born with tiny brains – in Brazil alone since October.
PAHO warned pregnant women to be “especially careful” and to see their doctor before and after visiting areas affected by the Zika virus.
Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador and Jamaica last week recommended women delay pregnancies until more was known about the virus.
Although officially PAHO says “any decision to defer pregnancy is an individual one between a woman, her partner and her healthcare provider”.
Prof. Laura Rodrigues, a fellow of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences and from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said some data suggested that up to one-in-fifty babies had birth defects in one of the worst hit areas – Pernambuco state in Brazil.
She said: “Until November we knew nothing, this has caught us by surprise and we’re trying to learn as fast as we can.
“Wherever there is dengue, there is mosquito, then it will spread and not just in Americas I think there is a very real chance it will spread in Asia.”
PAHO advice is to ensure all containers that can hold even small amounts of water should be emptied and cleaned to prevent mosquitoes breeding.
People should protect themselves by using insect repellent, covering up and keeping windows and doors closed.
Authorities in Rio de Janeiro have announced plans to prevent the spread of the Zika virus during the Olympic Games later this year.
Zika outbreak – which is being linked to severe birth defects – has caused growing concern in Brazil and abroad.
Inspections of Olympic facilities will begin four months before the Games to get rid of mosquito breeding grounds.
Daily sweeps will also take place during the Games.
However, fumigation would only be an option on a case-by-case basis because of concerns for the health of the athletes and visitors.
The Brazilian health ministry says it is also banking on the fact that the Games are taking place in the cooler, drier month of August when mosquitoes are far less evident and there are considerably less cases of mosquito-borne virus.
Brazil has the largest-known outbreak of the Zika virus which has been linked to a spike in birth defects in new-born babies whose mothers were bitten by the mosquito during pregnancy.
The US, Canada and EU health agencies have issued warnings saying pregnant women should avoid travelling to Brazil and other countries in the Americas which have registered cases of Zika.
Officials in Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador and Jamaica have warned women to avoid pregnancy amid concerns over an illness causing severe birth defects.
The four countries recommended to delay pregnancies until more was known about the mosquito-borne Zika virus.
This followed an outbreak in Brazil.
Brazil said the number of babies born with suspected microcephaly – or abnormally small heads – had reached nearly 4,000 since October.
Meanwhile, US health authorities have warned pregnant women to avoid travelling to more than 20 countries in the Americas and beyond, where Zika cases have been registered.
The link between microcephaly and Zika virus has not been confirmed – but a small number of babies who died had the virus in their brain and no other explanation for the surge in microcephaly has been suggested.
The virus is not contagious and normally has flu-like symptoms.
In Colombia, Health Minister Alejandro Gaviria urged women to delay pregnancies for up to eight months.
“We are doing this because I believe it’s a good way to communicate the risk, to tell people that there could be serious consequences,” he was quoted as saying by Reuters.
Similar warnings were issued in Ecuador, El Salvador and Jamaica.
However, women’s rights campaigners criticized the recommendations, saying women in the region often had little choice about becoming pregnant.
Monica Roa, a member of Women’s Link Worldwide group, said: “It’s incredibly naive for a government to ask women to postpone getting pregnant in a context such as Colombia, where more than 50% of pregnancies are unplanned and across the region where sexual violence is prevalent.”
Forty-nine babies with suspected microcephaly have died, Brazil’s health ministry says. In five of these cases an infection with Zika virus was found.
Brazil is experiencing the largest known outbreak of Zika, with most cases in the north-east. Others have been detected in the south-east, an area which includes Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo.
There has been a sharp rise in the number of cases of Zika in several other Latin American countries.
In Colombia, more than 13,500 cases have been reported.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued initial travel warnings to pregnant women last week, adding eight more places to the list on January 22. The warnings now extend to:
Central and South America: Bolivia, Ecuador, Guyana, Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Suriname, Venezuela
Caribbean: Barbados, Saint Martin, Haiti, Martinique, Puerto Rico, Guadeloupe
According to new figures, more Brazilian babies were born with abnormally small heads to mothers infected with the Zika virus.
There have been 3,893 cases of microcephaly since October, when the authorities first noticed a surge, up from 3,500 in last week’s report.
The Zika virus is transmitted by the bite of the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which also spreads dengue and chikungunya.
Brazil is experiencing the largest known outbreak of Zika.
The Zika virus has already killed five babies in the country, said the health ministry. Another 44 deaths are being investigated to determine if they were caused by Zika.
Last week, the Brazilian Health Minister Marcelo Castro said a new testing kit was being developed to identify quickly the presence of either of the three viruses.
Marcelo Castro also announced extra funds to speed the development of a vaccine for Zika “in record time”.
Photo Wikipedia
At the moment the only way to fight Zika is to clear standing water where mosquitoes breed.
There has been a sharp rise in the number of cases of Zika in several other Latin American countries.
In Colombia, more than 13,500 cases have been reported.
“We are the second country [in Latin America] after Brazil in the number of reported cases,” said Health Minister Alejandro Gaviria.
He has advised women in the country not to get pregnant for the rest of the outbreak, which he said could last until July.
In Bolivia, the authorities have reported the first case of a pregnant woman diagnosed with Zika.
“She has not travelled outside the country. This is a home-grown case,” Joaquin Monasterio, director of Health Services for the eastern department of Santa Cruz told the AFP news agency.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued an alert on January 15 advising pregnant women to avoid travelling to Brazil and other Latin American and Caribbean countries where outbreaks of Zika have been registered.
The travel alert applies to Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Suriname, Venezuela and Puerto Rico.
Brazil’s health ministry has confirmed a link between a mosquito-borne virus from Africa, Zika Fever, and a high incidence of birth defects.
The fever is behind a spike in cases of micro-encephalitis – an inflammation of the brain contracted in the first months of pregnancy.
It has recorded two adult deaths and 739 cases of the disease, which can stunt the growth of the fetus’ head.
A World Health Organization team arrives in Brazil next week.
The Brazilian ministry said doctors had found Zika virus in the blood and tissue of a baby with micro-encephalitis in the north-eastern state of Ceara.
Photo Wikipedia
It said it was also the first time in the world that adult deaths from Zika virus had been registered.
Most cases have been in the north-east of Brazil but cases also rapidly appeared in the south-east, in Rio and Sao Paulo.
The first confirmed case of death was of a man in the city of Belem, in Para state, who was being treated for Lupus, a disease of the immune system.
The second case, also in Para, was of a 16-year-old girl who was admitted with suspected Dengue fever but who was found to have died of Zika.
The virus was first detected in Brazil in April and has spread rapidly to 18 states.
It appears relatively harmless at first, causing a rash and a fever for a few days.
However, ministry officials have issued warnings to women to think carefully about getting pregnant at the moment in areas where there are Zika fever cases.
Zika is transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, also known to carry the yellow fever, dengue and chikungunya viruses.
The Brazilian ministry said Zika had become a serious risk to public health and that Brazil must embark on an emergency program to control the Aedes aegypti mosquito to prevent the virus’ spread.
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