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Zika virus (ZIKV) causes a tropical disease called Zika fever, the first two cases of which were also recorded in Poland. Infection with the zika virus is especially dangerous for pregnant women as it can lead to microcephaly of the fetus. It can also cause Guillain-Barré syndrome, which manifests as paralysis. How can you get infected with the zika virus? What are the symptoms of infection? How to prevent it?

The zika(ZIKV) virus belongs to theFlaviviridaefamily and is related to viruses that cause, among others, Dengue fever, West Nile fever or Japanese encephalitis.

Zika in Poland

In Poland, the zika virus infection has so far been confirmed by serological tests in two people. - We confirmed the zika virus infection in two people who returned from the Dominican Republic and Colombia. To our knowledge, these are the first cases of zika virus infection in our country - says Dr. Renata Welc-Falęciak from the Faculty of Biology of the University of Warsaw, a biotechnologist from AmerLab, a laboratory run jointly by scientists from the University of Warsaw and the Medical University of Warsaw.

NIZP-PZH in Warsaw in the release sent to PAP does not confirm this news. - We do not know anything about these tests, we do not know what method they were performed, and whether the second test was carried out to confirm the infection - Monika Wróbel-Harmas, spokesman of the National Institute of Public He alth-National Institute of Hygiene, says in an interview with PAP. - Our Department has so far carried out serological tests for the Zika virus in 30 people, of which only one was confirmed to be infected with this pathogen in two separate tests. A second test is necessary because non-specific reactions can occur with the IgM test, as is the case with all tests of this type. Therefore, confirmation of a positive IgM result is always required. For this purpose, a second blood sample is tested, which should be taken 2-3 weeks after the first test. In some cases, it is also possible to perform a confirmatory test by RT-PCR test using a urine sample.

Zika virus - how do you get infected?

Human infection occurs as a result of the bite of mosquitoes belonging to the speciesAedes africanus, Aedes aegyptiiAedes albopictus-carriers (vectors) of the virus. It is worth knowing that mosquitoes belonging to the latter species are called tiger mosquitoes. As experts from the Chief Sanitary Inspectorate emphasize in a message for people traveling to South America, the Pacific region, Africa and Indonesia, mosquitoes that carry the zika virus are active during the day, especially in the morning and late afternoon.

The possibility of infection with the Zika virus through blood (blood transfusion) and sexual contact has been confirmed.

The zika virus is also transmitted sexually. There have been reports of both female-to-male and male-to-female transmission of the Zika virus. A patient in Dallas, Texas, was thus infected, as confirmed by the federal Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The infected person did not travel to countries where it is possible to catch the zika virus. However, she did have sexual intercourse with a person who was in Venezuela. Specialists examined the sperm of the man with whom the patient had sex and confirmed the presence of the virus. However, the questions of how long the virus remains in the semen and when it is safe to have sex again remain unclear - it is assumed that it is from 3 weeks to 2 months.

In turn, in July 2016 in New York, the first documented case of female-to-male transmission of the Zika virus was reported. The patient, unaware of the infection, infected her partner shortly after returning from abroad with the zika virus. The first symptoms of infection appeared in her the day after her return. She was tested for the Zika virus, then found to have the same infection in her partner.

Important

Zika virus causes microcephaly - that's for sure

A mosquito bite that transmits the zika virus in pregnant women causes microcephaly, said the director of the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Tom Frieden in April 2016. There is no doubt about it anymore.

Until recently, experts emphasized that "there is no scientific evidence" confirming the relationship between the increase in the number of microcephaly cases and the virus. However, the zika virus has been found in the amniotic fluid of infected women and in the blood, cerebrospinal fluid, and brainstem of children with this defect, and microcephaly is one of the many malformations that can affect the fetus if infected with zika virus. The problem was first publicized by medical services in Brazil, where, since the beginning of 2015, 3,174 cases of the birth of children with microcephaly have been reported. Forcomparisons - by 2014, Brazil had no more than 200 cases of microcephaly per year.

Brazilian doctors have also discovered that the zika virus can cause not only microcephaly in the fetus, but also Guillain-Barre syndrome, an autoimmune disease that causes paralysis. A direct link between the Zika virus and this disease has not yet been demonstrated, but the suspicion is very serious.

Research will continue as it is still unknown when the risk of microcephaly is highest in pregnancy and whether Zika is associated with the rare Guillain-Barre disease of the peripheral nervous system.

Zika virus - symptoms of infection

In most people, infection is asymptomatic. However, some may show:

Zika fever may be mistakenly diagnosed as Dengue fever.

  • moderate fever
  • headaches
  • blotchy or papular rash
  • pain in muscles and joints, especially the smaller ones, e.g. hands or feet
  • joint swelling
  • conjunctivitis

The disease can also develop with neurological symptoms in the form of flaccid paralysis.

- This is a relatively mild virus, the symptoms are as if infected with viral diseases but last for several days - from one day to a week. The characteristic feature is the appearance of rash and conjunctivitis. As a rule, this disease is mild, often asymptomatic and leaves no traces - explained Dr. Andrzej Horban.

The WHO estimates that one in four people infected with zika symptoms develop symptoms of zika.

Important

WHO warning to women planning to travel to zika-infested countries

On January 25, 2016, the World He alth Organization also wrote that women who intend to visit areas where the virus is spread should consult a doctor before traveling and after returning home. Government officials from Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador and Jamaica went a step further, advising women not to get pregnant until more information about the virus could be found out.

The Zika virus is sexually transmitted. Confirmed case in Texas

Source: x-news.pl/RUPTLY

Zika virus - infection diagnosis

The diagnosis is made on the basis of the above-mentioned symptoms and history with the patient (whether he has traveled to countries where the virus occurs and was bitten by a mosquito there). Final diagnosis is made on the basis of the results of a blood test, in which the Zika virus can be found.

Zika virus - treatment of infection

As reportedWorld He alth Organization, no cure for zika fever. In the case of zika virus infection, you can only fight the symptoms of the disease, i.e. try to reduce the fever, relieve pain, etc.

Modified mosquitoes to prevent zika fever?

Scientists infected mosquitoes with the bacterium Wolbachia, which immunizes insects against the dengue virus, and released them into the wild to pass the beneficial bacteria to other mosquitoes. This is a way to reduce the number of mosquitoes that transmit this disease. This method has proved successful in Australia, in the Townsville area. There has been a significant decline in dengue incidence over the past few months, and no single case of dengue has been reported in the region in the past 12 months. The zika virus and dengue virus belong to the same family and are transmitted by the same species of mosquito. Therefore, the Wolbachia bacterium could also immunize the insects against the zika virus.

Zika virus - how to prevent infection?

There is no vaccine against the zika virus, therefore, the prevention of infection is to protect yourself against mosquito bites by:

  • regular and consistent use of mosquito repellants - repellants
  • wearing loose clothing that protects body parts exposed to bites, e.g. with long legs, long sleeves
  • use of mechanical barriers in windows and doors that reduce the risk of insects entering the interior of buildings
  • Avoid unprotected sex for at least one month after returning from countries affected by the Zika virus epidemic. It's best to use a condom
Worth knowing

Recommendations of the State Sanitary Inspectorate for people traveling to regions where the zika virus is present

If you get sick during your stay, you should immediately ask for medical help, and in the case of alarming symptoms after returning from the above-mentioned of the regions, you should immediately report to the doctor, informing about the traveled trip.

In order to obtain information about other risks, contact your travel medicine doctor or tropical medicine doctor before traveling to these countries, preferably no later than 4-6 weeks before the planned trip. This will allow you to take the prophylaxis recommended by your doctor.

More information on safety in the above-mentioned countries can be found on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the "Pole abroad" tab

The virus causes two serious diseases, says Dr. Scott Weaver, director of the Institute of Human Infections and Immunity, University of Texas Medical Branch

Source: x-news.pl/STORYFUL

Source: www.gis.gov.pl

Zika virus: calendar

The zika virus was first identified in the 1940s in the herds of macaques inhabiting the Zika forest (hence the name) in Uganda. Since then, the zika virus has spread to the central and western parts of Africa (Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Côte d'Ivoire, Cameroon, Senegal, Gabon), as well as parts of Asia (Pakistan, Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand) and the region Pacific (Micronesia, Cook Islands, French Polynesia, New Caledonia, Guam, Samoa, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands). In 2014, it reached parts of South and Central America (Colombia, Suriname, Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Paraguay and Venezuela). In 2015, the presence of the zika virus was recorded in Brazil and the United States. Scientists suspect that the virus traveled across the Pacific Ocean with fans heading to the 2014 Brazilian Soccer Cup.

On January 25, 2016, the World He alth Organization announced that the Zika virus would spread to all countries in America, except Canada and Chile. In turn, the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) warns that the zika virus may also reach Europe. It can be transferred to our continent by people returning from a trip to the above-mentioned regions with recorded outbreaks of this virus. The island of Madeira, which maintains trade contacts with South American countries, is particularly at risk. On January 26, 2016, it was announced that the zika virus had reached Denmark. The carrier is a Danish resident who has recently returned from a trip from abroad. A day later, it was reported that the Zika virus was found in five people in Portugal - tourists who recently visited Brazil. The media reports that this disease has also appeared in the Netherlands and Great Britain.

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Infectious diseases