Zika: A Silent Killer
The hottest
topic in the news right now is the Zika virus and its effects on pregnant
women. When a non-pregnant person is
diagnosed with this virus it is called the “Zika fever” and can be treated
through rest, but when a pregnant women gets the virus their unborn child can
suffer brain damage and even death. It’s
very difficult to diagnose someone with Zika fever, however, because the
illness only shows up in 20% of people (Zika Fever).
The
symptoms of the disease include rashes coupled with join pain, conjunctivitis,
and aches throughout muscles and the head (Symptoms). In a non-pregnant person the symptoms could
show up within a week of exposure. After
symptoms have occurred the virus will stay in the blood for up to a week and
then the person would be cured of the virus (Symptoms). There have been very few, if any, deaths from
this virus in non-pregnant people.
When a
pregnant woman contracts the virus the virus in the mother’s bloodstream
reaches the baby through the umbilical cord and transfers the disease. Because of the lack of an immune system the
baby is unable to fight off the virus and can suffer brain damage and if the
consequences are severe enough, death.
The main disease found in babies that have been born to mothers with
Zika is congenital microcephaly (Zika Virus Infection). This condition prevents the heads and the
brains of the infants from growing to their normal size for their age and
gender. This poses serious health
concerns for the baby including impaired mental development, motor skills, and
communication difficulties. In some
cases babies have not made it to full term because the stress put on the brain
while in utero is causes too much intracranial pressure resulting in brain
damage and death.
Upon further
research it has also been found that if a man is infected with Zika the virus
can stay in his semen longer than a week meaning that even if the mother does
not have the virus after conception the baby still has a chance of developing
the virus from its father (Zika Virus Infection). Unfortunately, there is currently no way to
vaccinate people for this virus which means that pregnant women will continue
to be at risk for contracting the virus and transmitting it to their babies
just as much as men are at risk for passing along the virus through conception.
"Symptoms, Diagnosis, &
Treatment." Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
03 Feb. 2016. Web. 16 Feb. 2016.
“Zika Virus.” Wikipedia.
Wikimedia Foundation, 16 Feb. 2016. Web. 16 Feb. 2016.
“Zika Virus Infection and
Pregnancy." Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
12 Feb. 2016. Web. 16 Feb. 2016.
It's quite terrifying that the symptoms of Zika fever only appear in about 20% of people. Even without the disease being prevalent int he US, the spread of disease is inevitable to some extent, and who knows where it will go next. The effects on pregnant women and their babies is devastating. Hopefully, the disease begins to be contained and the efforts to uncover a vaccine or cure will surface soon.
ReplyDeleteWhat a scary thing, knowing that a disease affects so many people but there is no vaccine for it. People all over the world often get vaccines to prevent themselves from chicken pox, polio, mumps, etc. but knowing that there is nothing these people can do except hope they don't have virus is a scary thing, especially for mothers and all women at the child-bearing age. Although this virus is terrifying, it's amazing to think how incredible our immune system is to be able to fight off a disease so awful that it causes brain and development damage in unborn babies without fully developed immune systems.
ReplyDeleteI have been hearing an awful lot about this virus for some time now, but have not done any legitimate research into what exactly the virus is or what it does. It's crazy hearing all of these symptoms and illnesses that can arise from contracting this virus, and what makes it worse is that there is no vaccination for it. It seems like a constant fear within someone whether or not they will be the next victim on the virus' list. Thanks for the insightful post!
ReplyDeleteI recently read an article that said there have been 82 reported cases of the Zika virus in the United States. Although this is not very many, it does not change the fact that Zika is a scary and consequences of attaining it can be harmful, especially for pregnant women. This post was very enlightening since I did not know very many details about the virus that I had been hearing so much about.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad that you wrote about this! I had heard a lot about it in the news, but didn't know the specifics of the virus. It's very scary to think that there isn't a cure for the virus in pregnant women, and something as simple as a mosquito bite could change your and your baby's life forever. I'm intrigued by the fact that this has recently become prevalent, as I had never even heard of the virus until a couple of weeks ago. This makes me very interested in learning more about how diseases originate, and how they spread so quickly.
ReplyDeleteI am very glad you wrote this blog post in an attempt to spread correct information about the Zika virus, as many people don't even completely know what it is or what it does. My own mother asked me last week if I should be tested for it, since I was in Mexico over the winter break. I had to explain to her that if I had it, I would already know, and that it would only pose a serious risk if I was pregnant. This has also brought the issue of legal abortions in many South American countries to the forefront of the discussion, as the countries where the virus is most prevalent don't allow abortions at all. This disease could in a way be a catalyst for a positive change for women's health.
ReplyDeleteZika virus is becoming a political problem in Brazil due to the upcoming Olympics. No woman of child-bearing age wants to take the risk of a severely deformed baby. A lot of research needs to be done in Zika as no one seems to know exactly why this happens. It is scary because this virus is likely to spread north to the United States. As it is spread through mosquito bites and sexual activity, it leaves many people at risk. After all, who hasn't been bitten by a mosquito?
ReplyDeleteZika virus is becoming a political problem in Brazil due to the upcoming Olympics. No woman of child-bearing age wants to take the risk of a severely deformed baby. A lot of research needs to be done in Zika as no one seems to know exactly why this happens. It is scary because this virus is likely to spread north to the United States. As it is spread through mosquito bites and sexual activity, it leaves many people at risk. After all, who hasn't been bitten by a mosquito?
ReplyDelete