Zika is a hot topic right now with new cases being reported throughout Southeast Asia, including in the Philippines.
If you have been hearing a lot about the Zika virus, mosquitoes, pregnant women, and some seriously deformed babies, and have wanted to know how all of it fits together – and what it means to you – here is the information you need.
The Zika virus was first identified as long ago as 1947 and had remained largely isolated in Africa until quite recently.
At the start of 2015 that changed when Brazil reported its first case, leading to an epidemic that at one time put the recent Olympic Games in jeopardy.
Originally the virus was seen as something not at all that serious. It was first considered nothing more than a fever-inducing virus, similar to the common flu that most people experience from time to time.
Those who were bitten by a mosquito carrying the virus usually dealt with what was named “Zika fever” – a condition that forced people into bed and also caused rashes, fevers, joint pain and conjunctivitis.
Recently many more people are paying attention to Zika because it is behind some of the most captivating new stories.
What happened to cause the virus to produce these Zika symptoms?
As mentioned, the virus was first discovered in 1947 in Uganda and scientists that uncovered this condition weren’t worried back then.
People had always fought through the fever-like symptoms, but it wasn’t until pregnant women in Brazil started to have babies with dramatically shrunken heads after being bitten by a mosquito that the world came to realize they were dealing with a mutated virus that was really causing some dangerous medical situations.
It is unknown how the virus mutated but we do know the symptoms are very similar to that the “old” virus with one major exception that pregnant women need to be aware of.
After being bitten by a mosquito carrying the virus, pregnant women find the fetus in their bodies mutated as well – leading to dramatically undersized heads on otherwise normal sized babies. This is why the American CDC (and many foreign governments around the world) are issuing travel advisories relating to travel to infected areas of the world.
Tips to prevent Zika infection
- Whilst there is no known cure or treatment for the virus right now, painkillers and fever-reducing medicines can manage the symptoms until the infection clears.
- Mosquito spray to fight off mosquitoes, mosquito nets, and other ways to prevent that mosquitoes from biting you in the first place are the most useful prevention to help you stay clear of the virus.
- Wearing long clothes, whilst not ideal in our Southeast Asian climate, is another way to reduce the chance of being bitten.