The Zika virus, also called Zika fever, is a relatively new disease, a member of the Flaviviridae family. A virus for which there is no vaccine or specific treatment and threatens to spread , for now plaguing Latin America
18 december 2015
Origin
The virus Zika was first identifies in Uganda in 1947, in the woods of Zika. It was discovered in a Rhesus monkey when a study on the transmission of the yellow fever was being carried out in the rainforest.
In 1952, serological analysis confirmed the infection in human beings in Uganda and Tanzania. However, it was not until 1968 that it was possible to isolate the virus with samples of people from Nigeria.
In 2007, the infection was registered in the isle of Yap, which is part of the Micronesia, in the Pacific Ocean. At the end of October 2013, an outbreak appeared in the French Polynesia, also in the Pacific, where 10,000 cases were identified.
In February 2014, the virus was detected in Latin America by the authorities of Chile, who confirmed the case in the Easter Island. It also coincided with an outbreak in New Caledonia and Cook Islands, again in the Pacific Ocean.
Currently, the virus continues to spread around the region. Last November health authorities in Mexico confirmed the two first virus cases in the country. The principal of the Ministry of Health, Mercedes Juan López, said that the cases appeared in the states of Chiapas and Nuevo León. This events has lead the Mexicans to adopt prevention measures like the elimination of the nesting spots of the transmitter insect, Aedes aegypti, a mosquito that apart from spreading the Zika virus, also is the source of the Dengue Fever and Chikungunya. The symptoms of the three diseases are very similar, and are very related with the West Nile virus and the Japanese encephalitis.
Symptoms
The incubation period varies from 3 to 12 days. It is only after when the symptoms appear. However, the infection can also arise in an asymptomatic way. According to a study published in the medicine journal The New England, only one in four people develop symptoms.
The symptoms last between four and seven days. The person can have a fever of less than 39ºC, headache, weakness, muscle pain, swelling of hands and feet, rashes or conjunctivitis. Vomit, diarrhoea, lack of appetite or abdominal pain are less frequent.
Treatment
It is advisable to drink plenty of liquids, as the disease causes a great loss of them. There is no vaccine for it, or either specific treatment for zika, there is only a symptomatic management based in resting and taking paracetamol or acetaminophen for the fever control.
By the moment, there has not been any death due to this disease, most of the people recover and hospitalisation rate is low.
Published by: Paula Tomás Gimeno
