First it was Dengue, now it’s Zika! It’s a never ending battle against all the dangerous viruses spread by the deadliest animal known to man – the pesky mosquito! Even though they may seem small, the total number of people they have killed is more than the sum total of all wars ever fought. Now, should we be worried about the Zika virus here in India? The answer is yes. It is very well being pegged to be the next big global outbreak and the conditions prevalent in India are perfect for this virus to thrive. While no case of Zika has yet been reported in India, our Government has stepped up their game and adopted the same strategy they employed to prevent Ebola from spreading.
Here are 5 Facts About The Deadly Zika Virus You Must Know:
1. The Zika virus is spread by the Aedes mosquito which is widely prevalent in India. This is the same breed of mosquito responsible for carrying the dengue, chikungunya and yellow fever virus. The virus spreads when a mosquito bites an infected person and then bites another person. The World Health Organisation sent out an alarm on January 28th saying the virus is “spreading explosively” via the aedes mosquito.
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2. Currently the virus has spread primarily in countries in Central and South America such as Brazil, Barbados, Mexico, Panama, etc, where over 4 million people have been infected. It is believed that over 4,000 babies have been born with birth defects including microcephaly (unusually small brains and heads) and development abnormalities, supposedly linked to the Zika virus.
3. The symptoms are very similar to Dengue, i.e. fever, joint pain, rash, cold and redness in eyes. Since such side effects are anyway felt by pregnant women, it is difficult for them to know whether they have been infected. The Government’s technical committee is also formulating guidelines to for pregnant women travelling to and from the infected countries.
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4. There is no vaccine, treatment or immunity known to counter the virus. The most plausible preventive measure it to avoid being bitten by a mosquito, by using mosquito repellents throughout the day, not just at night.
5. With the Rio Olympic Games 2016 scheduled to be held in August in Brazil, there are grave concerns being raised since over 10,000 people from across the world will be gathering for the event, with a high risk of them becoming a source of transmission.
In India, Good knight has been leading the front to educate people about the deadly Zika virus. They have come up with an elaborate infograph on the ABC of Zika that covers all aspects of the virus, which you must check out.
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