Why We Should Worry About Zika Virus

News stories about the spread of Zika virus appear more and more each day.  Those infected live in South America and Africa for the most part. Despite learning more about this new global virus that has been identified, there is still much we need to learn. And there is still no treatment for it.

Why we should worry about Zika virus?

• Like any virus, there is no known treatment for it. Bacterial infections can be treated with antibiotics. Viruses cannot be treated. If a person is infected, we can only offer them supportive care and let the virus run its course.
•  This virus has spread rapidly. It has the potential to spread to other countries and continents and become a pandemic.
•  Zika virus is spread through the bites of infected mosquitoes.  Like other mosquito-borne diseases, prevention is key. But, in the areas where it is spreading, there are not so many efforts to prevent mosquito bites. A person can take precaution to avoid mosquito bites but as long as they are still out there, the potential to become infected exists.
•  Several studies prove that the if a pregnant woman contracts Zika virus, there is a risk of microcephaly in the newborn., This is a devastating disease in the newborn. Basically, their brain is smaller than normal and the child will have cognitive impairment, which is often extreme in cases of microcephaly.
•  There is some evidence, although not very strong yet, that Zika virus can cause Guillain-Barré syndrome in adults.
•  There is also some evidence that Zika virus can be transmitted through the semen for several months after exposure. No one knows the true implications of this currently.
•  There is no vaccine available yet. If you are traveling to a high risk area,  there is nothing you can do to prevent Zika virus except perhaps avoiding mosquito bites.
• There are many unknowns about Zika virus. Since this is a relatively new pathogen, there is still much we don’t know. We may discover worse complications down the road. There is no way to foresee these.
• The Ebola virus taught us that we are not so prepared to handle unknown pathogens.

Women need to be especially worried. This article discusses why: https://www.consumerhealthdigest.com/pregnancy-center/zika-virus-and-pregnant-women.html

While we do need to worry about Zika virus, there is no reason to panic.  Many scientists are studying it and the major health organizations, including the WHO, and CDC, are actively trying to get a handle on it. And as we witnessed in the Ebola epidemic, we defeated it. Hopefully, we will soon know all we need to do so about Zika virus and it will be a distant memory.

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