Zika virus
What is Zika Virus? This term is being repeated for the past few days in the news and the radio but I don't really see it being shared on social medias. This may be because we aren't aware yet on how serious this Zika virus is spreading and how dangerous it is. Despite me loving to write on fun and humorous topics, I am going to use this as a platform to share what I've learned about the Zika virus and explain to my readers in simple words for better understanding and awareness.
1. What is Zika virus?
Zika virus is a virus which is spread through mosquito bites. It was first discovered in Africa, Southeast Asia, pacific islands and now has spread to Texas, America. However, according to the news, the case in Texas was not due to a mosquito bite but because of sexual intercourse with an already infected person. This means that Zika can also spread through sexual intercourse. It can also spread from a pregnant mother to he child.
2. What are the effects of Zika?
It has almost same effects as a dengue fever but on a milder side. The main problem is when a pregnant mother gets infected with the virus, the baby is born with a condition called Microcephaly. This is a birth defect where a baby’s head is smaller
than expected when compared to babies of the same sex and age. Babies
with microcephaly often have smaller brains that might not have
developed properly. In brazil, 4000 babies were born with these conditions caused by the virus.
3. Symptoms
Almost same as dengue. The most common symptoms of Zika are fever, rash, joint pain, or conjunctivitis (red eyes). Other common symptoms include muscle pain and headache.
4. Treatment/prevention
Unfortunately, there is no vaccine or medicine to cure this virus. But the usual method of making sure no mosquito bites you should work. Currently, the population of mosquitoes are being reduced by producing genetically modified male mosquitoes which is released to the environment. When these male mosquitoes mate with the female mosquitoes readily available in the environment, the female mosquitoes loose their ability to reproduce and will be unable to lay eggs. You might think that it is ridiculous to produce more mosquitoes when mosquitoes are the main reason for the spreading of this virus but when you think about it, a female mosquito lays 1000-3000 eggs in a lifetime. By producing a few hundreds of mosquitoes, thousands of new mosquitoes can be prevented.
Overall, Zika virus is indeed a global threat and all you have to do is follow the steps to prevent mosquito breeding. Keep your area clean, clean out areas of water retention, you know the drill. Let it be Zika, Dengue or Chikungunya, the prevention steps are pretty much the same. DESTROY THE MOSQUITOES.
Remember that prevention is better than cure. In this case, there is no cure so we better start preventing.
Thanks for taking a moment to read this and to educate ourselves. Share this to educate others too. Stay safe.
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| These are scary mofos |
Visit http://www.cdc.gov/zika/ to get a thorough explanation on this virus.
With little bit of love,
Dheephikha
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