Zika Virus spreading rapidly; Facts about Zika Virus

A relatively new mosquito-borne virus is prompting worldwide concern because of an alarming connection to a neurological birth disorder and the rapid spread of the virus across the globe.

World Health Organization Director-General Margaret Chan said, "The level of alarm is extremely high," which is why they are considering declaring a public health emergency.

The Zika virus, transmitted by the aggressive Aedes aegypti mosquito, has now spread to at least 24 countries. The WHO estimates 3 million to 4 million people across the Americas will be infected with the virus in the next year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning pregnant women against travel to those areas; health officials in several of those countries are telling female citizens to avoid becoming pregnant, in some cases for up to two years.

"As long as the mosquito keeps reproducing, each and every one of us is losing the battle against the mosquito," Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff said on Friday. "We have to mobilize so we do not lose this battle.

Zika is also suspected of causing other serious conditions, such as other brain damage to unborn babies besides microcephaly, as well as a paralyzing condition called Guillain-Barre syndrome.

There's no treatment for Zika, which causes no symptoms in 80 percent of people who get it. There's no vaccine, either. It wasn't suspected of causing birth defects until Brazil raised the alert in November.

The virus is carried by the same Aedes aegypti mosquitoes that carry dengue and yellow fever viruses and is expected to spread everywhere those mosquitoes are found. That includes most tropical regions as well as the southern U.S. and Hawaii.

The World Health Organization on Thursday called an emergency committee on the Zika virus, which is "spreading explosively" and suspected of causing birth defects.

The meeting, scheduled for Monday, will examine whether the Zika outbreak should be classified as an international health emergency, WHO said in a statement.

WHO's Director General Dr. Margaret Chan said the virus is "spreading explosively" in the Americas. "The level of alarm is extremely high," she said.

Facts about Zika Virus

• Zika virus (ZIKV) is a member of theFlaviviridae virus family and the Flavivirusgenus, transmitted by daytime-active Aedesmosquitoes, such as A. aegypti.
• In humans, the virus causes a mild illness known as Zika fever, Zika, or Zika disease, which since the 1950s has been known to occur within a narrow equatorial belt from Africa to Asia. 
• Zika virus is related to dengue, yellow fever,Japanese encephalitis, and West Nileviruses.

• The illness it causes is similar to a mild form of dengue fever, is treated by rest, and cannot yet be prevented by drugs or vaccines.
• There is a possible link between Zika fever and microcephaly in newborn babies by mother-to-child transmission, as well as a stronger one with neurologic conditions in infected adults, including cases of the Guillain–Barré syndrome.
• Common symptoms of infection with the virus include mild headaches,maculopapular rash, fever, malaise,conjunctivitis, and joint pains
• As of 2016, no vaccine or preventative drug is available.
• Symptoms can be treated with rest, fluids, and paracetamol(acetaminophen), while aspirin and othernonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs should be used only when dengue has been ruled out to reduce the risk of bleeding.
• In December 2015, it was suspected that a transplacental infection of the fetus may lead to microcephaly and brain damage.

However, Work has begun towards developing a vaccine for Zika virus, according to Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. The researchers at the Vaccine Research Center have extensive experience from working with vaccines for other viruses such as West Nile virus, chikungunya virus, and dengue fever. Nikos Vasilakis of the Center for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases predicted that it may take two years to develop a vaccine, but 10 to 12 years may be needed before an effective Zika virus vaccine is approved for regulators for public use.