“Zika Virus, the Next American Epidemic?”
A mosquito could care less who it is biting!
This, of course, could include your own kids being at risk for illness as the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently changed their ‘at risk’ states from 12 to 30! As the “Zika Scare” works its way into our conversations with our friends, family and neighbors, the fear of the unknown, particularly with adolescents, can be difficult to explain.
What does the Zika Virus do?
Much of what we are hearing about the Zika virus relates to women that are pregnant or looking to become pregnant. It is important to be aware of the symptoms. They include fever, rash, joint pain and conjunctivitis, according to the CDC. Approximately one in five people infected with the virus show symptoms. Severe complications from the virus that require hospitalization are rare.
The virus has also been associated with a rise of microcephaly birth defect cases. The birth defect is characterized by a malformed or smaller head and brain and can result in serious developmental delays.
The CDC is also investigating if a rare paralysis syndrome called Guillain-Barre is related to the virus. The syndrome is an immunological reaction that can also occur after other viral or bacterial infections.
Why is the Zika Virus an Issue and are we at risk in the United States?
Part of why the Zika outbreak has been so widespread in Brazil is because many homes don’t have screens on windows and doors. Air conditioning is rare and garbage, old tires, and other water-capturing rubbish are allowed to lie around where mosquito-threats thrive. A major factor to the spread of the virus is population density. This along with the presence of the mosquito that spreads the Zika Virus (Aedes Aegypti), and high temperatures all intensify the probability of local transmission — this is why places like Miami, Orlando, and Houston are all considered high risk. As warm weather approaches in the United States, conditions are quickly becoming favorable for mosquito species that can spread Zika, yellow fever, dengue, and other serious illnesses. What initially was the concern for public health practitioners abroad has quickly become a concern to us in the homeland.
On April 11th, the CDC said Puerto Rico could see “hundreds of thousands of cases of Zika virus.” Officials also said the rest of the country needs to be prepared for possible outbreaks. “As Americans, most of what we’ve learned is not reassuring,” said Dr. Anne Schuchat, the principal deputy director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Everything we look at with this virus seems to be a bit scarier than we initially thought.”
As summer approaches, officials are warning that mosquito eradication efforts, lab tests, and vaccine research may not be able to catch up. There are 346 cases of Zika confirmed in the continental United States — all in people who had recently traveled to Zika-prone countries, according to the most recent CDC report. Of those, 32 were in pregnant women, and seven were sexually transmitted.
Which U.S. states are considered “High Risk’ for Zika virus?
Zika is an emergency and infected mosquitos may arrive in the U.S. this summer. “There’s much that we still don’t know about it,” Tom Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told Congress on Wednesday, April 13th.
He said 30 or more states are at risk of transmission — southern states more so than others. And warmer weather accelerates the danger:
“Here, it’s possible that come summer, we will have a situation where a woman gets pregnant, and through bad luck, gets bitten by a mosquito that is infected with Zika and may have an affected child.
Prevention Techniques
“The Zika threat can be minimized if people are prepared to recognize the risk and adjust their lifestyles and routines and follow simple, sensible precautions,” said Chris Ewing, MD, Director of Medical Operations at Global Rescue. The following six (6) preventative measures will help in the fight against Zika virus:
- Use insect repellents containing DEET or certain oil of lemon-eucalyptus or para-menthane-diol products.
- Application of sunscreen first and then insect repellent.
- Treat clothing with permethrin or purchase permethrin-treated clothing.
- When weather permits, wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants.
- Use air-conditioning, and window/door screens to keep mosquitoes outside.
- Reduce mosquitoes inside and outside by emptying standing water and disposing of garbage and rubbish.
