Zika Virus Guatemala Facts You Need to Know

Zika Virus Guatemala Facts You Need to Know. Guatemalan health officials said Saturday January 30th that 105 people there had been infected with the Zika Virus, the virus suspected of causing grave brain damage in newborns.

Health Ministry epidemiologist Judith Garcia told the Newspaper Prensa Libre that the 105 confirmed cases emerged from a total of 200 suspected cases, 68 of them from 2015.

Zika Virus Guatemala Facts You Need to Know History

Zika virus (ZIKV) is a member of the virus family Flaviviridae and the genus Flavivirus, transmitted by daytime-active Aedes mosquitoes, such as A. aegypti. Its name comes from the Zika Forest of Uganda, where the virus was first isolated in 1947.

In 2015, Zika virus RNA was detected in the amniotic fluid of two fetuses, indicating that it had crossed the placenta and could cause a mother-to-child infection.

As of 2016, no vaccine or preventative drug is available. Symptoms can be treated with rest, fluids, and paracetamol (acetaminophen), while aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs should be used only when dengue has been ruled out to reduce the risk of bleeding.

Zika Virus Guatemala Facts You Need to Know Zika Virus Symptoms

Common symptoms of infection with the virus include mild headaches, maculopapular rash, fever, malaise, conjunctivitis, and joint pains. The first well-documented case of Zika virus was described in 1964; it began with a mild headache, and progressed to a maculopapular rash, fever, and back pain. Within two days, the rash started fading, and within three days, the fever resolved and only the rash remained.

Thus far, Zika fever has been a relatively mild disease of limited scope, with only one in five persons developing symptoms, with no fatalities, but its true potential as a viral agent of disease is unknown.

Zika Virus Transmitted By mosquitoes

Zika is transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which also spreads dengue fever and the chikungunya virus. It provokes flu-like symptoms including a low-grade fever, headaches, joint pain and rashes.

Zika Virus is a sexually transmitted infection.

Despite initial reports that the Zika virus could only be spread through bites from the Aedes mosquito, earlier reports have hinted that the virus may be transmitted by other means.

Officials in Texas, have confirmed that the virus can spread through sex after a patient in Dallas became infected after having sex with a person who had returned from Venezuela, one of the more than 20 countries and territories where the virus has been identified.

(CNN)Zika has been sexually transmitted in Texas, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday. It is the first known case of the virus being locally acquired in the continental United States in the current outbreak.

Zika Virus Vaccine development

Effective vaccines exist for several flaviviruses. Vaccines for yellow fever virus, Japanese encephalitis, and tick-borne encephalitis were introduced in the 1930s, while the vaccine for dengue fever only became available for use in the mid-2010s.

Work has begun towards developing a vaccine for Zika virus, according to Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

Protection from Zika Virus

If you are planning a trip to any Zika-affected country –follow these guidelines.
CDC recommends that women who are trying to get pregnant also talk to their doctor before departure.
Visit a doctor – ideally, a doctor specializing in travel medicine – prior to departure to discuss the relative threat of Zika virus infection at your destination
Monitor yourself for signs of fever, vomiting, or aches and pains.
Prevent mosquitoes from coming indoors.
As weather permits, wear long sleeves, pants, socks, and hats to cover as much skin as is comfortable.
Use insect repellent containing at least 20-percent or more DEET. Non-DEET alternatives are also available – such as picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus.

Regions of Guatemala that are know to have high concentration of Mosquitoes.