Thousands of infants in Brazil are being diagnosed with a devastating birth defect and medical
researchers believe it might be linked to a mosquito borne virus.
So, what is this mysterious virus and how do we stop it?
Zika, a strange mosquito borne virus, is sweeping through many Central and South American countries.
Current estimates place the number of Zika cases at over a million in Brazil alone.
And in response to the outbreak the CDC has implemented two new travel bans, to an already
large list, for pregnant women, one on the United States Virgin Islands and the other
on the Dominican Republic.
The ban is for pregnant women specifically because since the epidemic started, the incidences
of microcephaly, a devastating birth defect, have skyrocketed.
Microcephaly is a condition where a baby is born with a small head.
Because the head is so small in those born with the condition, the brain is small too,
meaning it’s underdeveloped.
Which can cause a whole range of other health issues like cognitive deficits, seizures,
feeding problems, vision problems and hearing loss.
Unfortunately there’s no cure for the condition, only treatments for it’s effects.
Microcephaly is typically seen in rates of about 2 in 10,000 births according to a study
published in the journal Birth Defects Research (Part A).
But nearly 4,000 cases have been reported in Brazil since October, that’s nearly 26
times the normal rate.
And researchers strongly suspect that the birth defect is linked to the Zika virus.
Now this epidemic seemed to come out of nowhere.
The mosquito that carries the virus, Aedes aegypti, was pretty much eradicated in Brazil
in the 1950s.
But as the decades wore on, it made it’s way back.
Then last year reports of Zika in Brazil started popping up.
But it wasn’t taken too seriously, since it’s symptoms are mild, just things like
a fever or a rash.
It wasn’t until the rate of Microcephaly shot up that the world started to take notice.
Now the battle against Zika is underway, and one that Brazil is badly losing, according
to the health minister.
And it is literally a battle, 220,000 members of the armed forces are going door to door
to help in the current mosquito eradication efforts.
But it’s not just Brazil, Zika has been reported in 24 regions around the world, mostly
in tropical areas.
Each country is issuing warnings, some seem extreme.
For instance, the government of El Salvador told women to avoid pregnancy for two years!
As for the zika virus itself, there’s no treatment, vaccine, or cure.
The CDC says the best way to avoid the virus, is to avoid mosquito bites.
Now, experts say that a US outbreak is unlikely to occur.
They believe that most cases will happen to those who travel to Brazil and other affected
countries.
But this summer tons of people will descend on Rio de Janeiro for the 2016 Games.
Which some experts are calling “a perfect dissemination vehicle for Zika.”
If people travel to Brazil, get zika from a mosquito bite, then return home and get
bitten there, the zika virus could transfer to the local mosquito population.
Which would mean that there is the pot