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The Zika virus is transmitted by mosquitoes, and it mostly affects children that are still in utero.
STATES CHRONICLE – Mosquitoes become fiercer as CDC confirms first case of Zika Virus. The infection, which is spread by the infamous insects is responsible for infant microcephaly. Reports say that the first infected citizen entered the country from Latin America.
The traveler, which identity was kept secret by the authorities, returned recently from a trip to El Salvador. He was treated in Texas, Harris County. The Centers for Control and Prevention of Disease, CDC confirms first case of Zika Virus and recommends caution for all Americans since the main carriers, the mosquitoes thrive in certain parts of the country.
The Dean of the Tropical Medicine National School at the Baylor Medicine College, president of the Vaccine Institute Sabin and Tropical Pediatrics Endowed Chair at the Children Hospital in Texas, Doctor Peter Hotez, declared that concern and awareness for the Zika virus should be even greater than that given to the Ebola virus.
Peter Hotez expresses his concerns about the Zika saying that in America there are 2 species of mosquito, the Aedes mosquitoes that are capable of transmitting the virus in the area. He is also worried that improper living conditions in Texas, for example, houses with no windows or insect nets, and could prove to be favorable in the disease’s spread.
The problem with the virus is that it doesn’t have proper symptoms that can be recognized thus leading to an early diagnostic. Usually, women that are infected with the disease can present symptoms that are mostly attributed to the flu (coughing, sweating). This leads to a great number of non-identified patients that carry out a pregnancy to term. This leads to the birth of children with malformations such as microcephaly.
The doctor also advises that measures of control over the mosquito population should be implemented immediately. He says this could prevent new cases of the disease emerging, especially since spring and summer are just around the corner.
Among the prevention methods are: covering water containers of any kind (buckets, tires, bird baths, flower pots, empty jars, and even animals water bowls), repairing the taps or leaks of septic tanks, using insect repelling spray when going out in the evening (that is the period in which the mosquitoes are most active). There is a list of repelling substances approved by the CDC for general use. The list includes DEET, eucalyptus oil, picaridin, and IR3535.
The first Zika patient in the US was diagnosed after he complained of muscle and joint aches, fever and a rash. The CDC recommends doctors in the area to keep in mind diseases like Zika, Dengue Fever, West Nile, or chikungunya when treating a patient that could have been exposed to them while traveling.
The Zika virus is not deadly to adults, but it greatly affects babies that are still developing in utero. Experts advise especially pregnant women to take every measure of precaution in order to prevent an infected mosquito bite as the CDC confirms first case of Zika virus.
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