Africa, beware of Zika Virus!
ZIKA virus is sweeping across the globe, and it’s coming for the babies!While Lassa fever is busy operating in West Africa, Zika virus is ravaging Central and South America.
The virus is linked to thousands of cases of microcephaly, a serious birth defect occurs in the baby’s brain, leading to permanent disability and other health problems. The crisis has generated panic in affected countries, such as El Salvador, where the government recently called on the population to avoid pregnancy for at least two years. That’s too much you may say, but that’s how serious the issue of the virus is. Babies are snuggly and cute, fun to play with! But Zika is posing a big threat to their growth and wellbeing.
Caused by a virus transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes according to experts, the Zika virus is known to be transmitted from a mother to her baby during pregnancy. According to medical professionals, Zika virus has an incubation period of about three to 12 days after a bite by an infected mosquito. The virus is usually asymptomatic in roughly 80 per cent of individuals who have been infected, and its symptoms typically include fever, rash, joint pain, conjunctivitis, muscle pain and headache.
From whence comes this plague? The virus was reportedly first isolated in April 1947 from a rhesus macaque monkey that had been placed in a cage in the Zika Forest (zika meaning “overgrown” in the Luganda language of Uganda), near Lake Victoria by the scientists of the Yellow Fever Research Institute. In 1968 it was isolated for the first time fromhumans in Nigeria. From 1951 through 1981, evidence of human infection was reported from other African countries such as the Central African
Republic, Egypt, Gabon, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, and Uganda, as well as in parts of Asia including India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. In April 2007 the first outbreak
outside of Africa and Asia occurred on the island of Yap in the
Federated States of Micronesia.
Since April 2015, a large, ongoing outbreak of Zika virus that began
in Brazil has spread to Colombia, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay,
Puerto Rico, Suriname, and Venezuela. According to the Center For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Brazilian health authorities reported more than 3,500 microcephaly cases between October 2015 and January 2016.
Some of the affected infants have had a severe type of microcephaly and some have died. More studies are planned to learn more about the risks of Zika virus infection during pregnancy. In the worst affected region of Brazil approximately one percent of newborns are suspected of microcephaly.
Currently having no specific treatment or preventive vaccinations, the
WellBeing Foundation Africa in its campaign has also recommended that preventive personal measures such as avoiding mosquito bites, and using mosquito repellents and insecticide-treated mosquito nets can offer a degree of protection against the disease. Apart from pregnant women and their babies, Zika virus can affect anyone who lives or travels to any area where the virus is found. Therefore to curtail transmission, travel alerts have been issued for pregnant women and women trying to conceive, who might be planning to travel to affected regions.
Mosquitoes that spread Zika virus bite mostly during the daytime and also spread dengue and chikungunya viruses therefore, when traveling to countries where Zika virus or other viruses spread by mosquitoes are found, the following steps should be taken: Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants. Stay in places with air conditioning or that use window and door screens to keep mosquitoes outside. Sleep under a mosquito bednet if you are overseas or outside and are not able to
protect yourself from mosquito bites.
Use of insect repellent is also advisable. Dress your child in clothing that covers arms and legs, or a cover crib, stroller, and baby carrier with mosquito nets. The use of insect repellent on babies younger than two months should be avoided.
Africa as a continent is yet to recover from the spread and effects of
Ebola and Lassa fever, that is why she can’t afford the spread of another deadly disease at a time like this. Prevention is better than cure. Africa must beware of Zika Virus.
• Ajiboye, a Public Affairs Analyst, lives
in Lagos (johntosin4@gmail.com)
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1 Comments
I thought the reason it never became a epidemic in Africa is they have always had the virus but not the species of mosquito required to transfer it to humans.
We will review and take appropriate action.