The Spread Of The Zika Virus Disease
Zika Virus, the rogue bug, has created quite a dreadful scene on an international scale by spreading rapidly to over 39 countries across the world. Doctors have described this as a “pandemic in progress”, indicating a state of emergency due to its rapid geographic expansion.
Here are answers to all the questions you will ever need to ask about the Zika virus-
What is the Zika Virus disease?
It is a disease caused by a day time active species of mosquitoes infected by a virus called Zika. The name comes from a forest in Uganda where the virus was first detected in the year 1947.
A decade ago, less than 10 cases of Zika could be found, but in 2007, the virus caused a massive outbreak in Yap, an island group in the Western Pacific Islands …show more content…
The most common symptoms are fever, skin rash, muscular pain and conjunctivitis. The infection usually resolves by itself within a week. Only 1 out of 5 infectants notice these symptoms. In fact, 80% of those infected don’t even know that they have the disease.
The effects change for the worse and are more severe for pregnant women. It can potentially cause premature births with microcephaly (a condition that's associated with a small head and incomplete brain development). The relationship between Microcephaly and the Zika virus has not yet been officially established, but the rising number of births with Microcephaly in parallel to the spread of the virus has experts almost certain that a relationship exists. The virus is still not researched properly and a lot needs to be known to effectively combat it. In short, we were never ready for it.
A possible connection between the virus and Guillain-Barré Syndrome (a very rare neurological syndrome that can cause paralysis) is also suspected.
How is the Zika virus …show more content…
India is extremely susceptible to dengue and chikungunya, diseases carried by the same breed of mosquito that carries the Zika virus. So yes, India is extremely sensitive to an outbreak. In a country of 1.3 billion people, where chikungunya and dengue are common, it is hard to gauge Zika’s prevalence. Here, the challenge lies behind distinguishing Zika cases which mirrors the symptoms generated because of dengue/chikungunya.
Well the irony is perfectly completed here!
India is the first country in the world to have ready, not only one, but two vaccines against the virus.
Whether the ‘Anti-Zika’ breakthrough from India becomes a fully fledged vaccine or not is uncertain, but for the first time an Indian company has been agile and farsighted to beat the western pharmaceutical giants on their own turf. We will have to wait to see how the patent battle is fought, though on this occasion the dice has already been rolled in India's favor. The Zikavac is now in pre-clinical testing as the firm behind it prepares to test it on animals first and then on humans. If those trials are successful, a vaccine could become available to the public in around four
Here are answers to all the questions you will ever need to ask about the Zika virus-
What is the Zika Virus disease?
It is a disease caused by a day time active species of mosquitoes infected by a virus called Zika. The name comes from a forest in Uganda where the virus was first detected in the year 1947.
A decade ago, less than 10 cases of Zika could be found, but in 2007, the virus caused a massive outbreak in Yap, an island group in the Western Pacific Islands …show more content…
The most common symptoms are fever, skin rash, muscular pain and conjunctivitis. The infection usually resolves by itself within a week. Only 1 out of 5 infectants notice these symptoms. In fact, 80% of those infected don’t even know that they have the disease.
The effects change for the worse and are more severe for pregnant women. It can potentially cause premature births with microcephaly (a condition that's associated with a small head and incomplete brain development). The relationship between Microcephaly and the Zika virus has not yet been officially established, but the rising number of births with Microcephaly in parallel to the spread of the virus has experts almost certain that a relationship exists. The virus is still not researched properly and a lot needs to be known to effectively combat it. In short, we were never ready for it.
A possible connection between the virus and Guillain-Barré Syndrome (a very rare neurological syndrome that can cause paralysis) is also suspected.
How is the Zika virus …show more content…
India is extremely susceptible to dengue and chikungunya, diseases carried by the same breed of mosquito that carries the Zika virus. So yes, India is extremely sensitive to an outbreak. In a country of 1.3 billion people, where chikungunya and dengue are common, it is hard to gauge Zika’s prevalence. Here, the challenge lies behind distinguishing Zika cases which mirrors the symptoms generated because of dengue/chikungunya.
Well the irony is perfectly completed here!
India is the first country in the world to have ready, not only one, but two vaccines against the virus.
Whether the ‘Anti-Zika’ breakthrough from India becomes a fully fledged vaccine or not is uncertain, but for the first time an Indian company has been agile and farsighted to beat the western pharmaceutical giants on their own turf. We will have to wait to see how the patent battle is fought, though on this occasion the dice has already been rolled in India's favor. The Zikavac is now in pre-clinical testing as the firm behind it prepares to test it on animals first and then on humans. If those trials are successful, a vaccine could become available to the public in around four