SELANGOR MALAYSIA

Thursday, February 11, 2016

Zika Virus

Zika Virus


  • >  A member of the virus family Flaviviridae and the genus Flavivirus, 
  • >  transmitted by daytime-activeAedes mosquitoes, such as A. aegypti and A. albopictus.
  • >  Its name comes from the Zika Forest of Uganda, where the virus was first isolated in 1947.

  Symptoms ( Normally  last for 2-7 days )
  •     Fever
  •       Rash
  •       Joint pain
  •       Conjunctivitis (Red Eye)
  •        Muscle pain 
  •        Headache




Diagnosis
1.  The symptoms of Zika are similar to those of dengue and chikungunya, diseases spread through the same mosquitoes that transmit Zika
2.  See your healthcare provider if you develop the symptoms described above and have visited an area where Zika is found.
3.  If you have recently traveled, tell your healthcare provider when and where you traveled.
4.  Your healthcare provider may order specialized blood tests to look for Zika or other similar viruses like dengue or chikungunya.
Treatment
      1.There is no vaccine  to prevent or specific medicine to treat Zika infections.
2.Treat the symptoms:
3.Get plenty of rest.
4. Drink fluids to prevent dehydration.
5.Take medicine such as acetaminophen (Tylenol®) to relieve fever and pain.
6.Do not take aspirin and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
7.If you are taking medicine for another medical condition, talk to your healthcare provider before  taking additional medication.
8.Prevent mosquito bites for the first week of your illness.
9.During the first week of infection, Zika virus can be found in the blood and passed from an infected
10.person to a mosquito through mosquito bites.
11.An infected mosquito can then spread the virus to other people.

During Pregnancy

Zika virus RNA was detected in the amniotic fluid of two pregnant women whose fetuses had microcephaly, indicating that the virus had crossed the placenta and could have caused a mother-to-child infection.

Provider guidelines for pregnant women and women of reproductive age. The new recommendations include offering serologic testing to pregnant women without Zika fever symptoms who have returned from areas with ongoing Zika virus transmission in the last 2–12 weeks.

For pregnant women without Zika symptoms living in such areas, they recommend testing at the beginning of prenatal care and follow-up testing in the fifth month of pregnancy.

Travel guidance on affected countries, including the use of enhanced precautions and guidelines for pregnant women including considering postponing travel. Other governments or health agencies soon issued similar travel warnings while Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, and Jamaica advised women to postpone getting pregnant until more is known about the risks.