Zika virus (ZIKV) is a member of the Flaviviridae virus family and is transmitted by the Aedes mosquitos, such as Aedes aegypti. It was first discovered in April of 1947 in a Rhesus macaque monkey near Zika Forest in Uganda, Africa by the Rockefeller Foundation (Yellow Fever Research Institute) and in recent years has spread rapidly throughout the globe until in 1999 it finally hit New York.
In 2014 it was reported that ZIKV started spreading eastward across the Pacific Ocean to French Polynesia, then continued on to the Easter Islands. In 2015 it then reached Central America, the Caribbean Islands and finally South America, where it has reached pandemic levels.
Other better known viruses within the same Flaviviridae family include dengue fever, yellow fever and chikungunya fever and for unknown reasons, ZIKV seems to follow the emergence of Chikungunya Fever, which in turn follows the spread of dengue fever. A possible correlation lies in the spread of all these viruses through the bite of mosquitos in the Aedes family, namely A. aegypti.
The importance of this lies in the fact that in 2015 and 2016 Asian and African mosquitos were introduced, which was followed by the inevitable spread of yellow fever, then dengue and afterwards followed by Chikungunya and at last Zika Virus. Add in natural events like the El Nino weather patterns and you have the perfect brew for the spread of a disease to at least 20 nations worldwide as of the publication of this article.
This worldwide spread has lead to travel advisories by the U.S. Center of Disease Controls (CDC), which can be found on their website.
The common symptoms found with ZIKV infection include fatigue, nausea, fever, rash, joint pains and conjunctivitis. Only 1 in 5 infected usually shows these symptoms at all and they usually last several days to a week.
So why is it that this Virus has been making headlines you ask? Because once again humans have messed with mother nature and have created a potentially deadly disease, that could easily reach pandemic proportions and lead to population control. 
The infection with ZIKV in pregnant women has been linked to microcephaly in the fetus and newborn. Microcephaly is a neurodevelopment disorder. It is usually defined as ahead circumference more than two standard deviations below the mean for age and sex.
In layman's terms : the child is born with a head and as such also brain size much smaller than the average, healthy human child. In general, life expectancy for individuals with microcephaly is reduced and the prognosis for normal brain function is poor.
The surprising factor in this is that typically other flaviviridae have never been shown to be linked with the incidence of microcephaly, so one wonders if mutations are to blame.
If we take the West Nile Virus for example - it was discovered in Uganda in 1937 by the same foundation that later discovered ZIKV. No changes in symptoms were reported until it mutated the mid-1990s and severe brain disease was found with the epidemic spread in North Africa and Southern Europe.
The World Health Organization (WHO) publicized a statement on their website that an " emergency committee under International Health Regulations will convene on Monday, February 1st 2016 to discuss the explosive spread of Zika Virus".
The virus reportedly has the potential to reach pandemic proportions — possibly around the globe. But understanding why this outbreak happened is vital to curbing it. The WHO statement reads:
“A causal relationship between Zika virus infection and birth malformations and neurological syndromes … is strongly suspected. [These links] have rapidly changed the risk profile of Zika, from a mild threat to one of alarming proportions.“WHO is deeply concerned about this rapidly evolving situation for 4 main reasons: the possible association of infection with birth malformations and neurological syndromes; the potential for further international spread given the wide geographical distribution of the mosquito vector; the lack of population immunity in newly affected areas; and the absence of vaccines, specific treatments, and rapid diagnostic tests […]“The level of concern is high, as is the level of uncertainty.”
Brazil has officially been declared as the epicenter of this new form of ZIKV, as well over 4000 babies with Zika-linked Microcephaly have been born since October of 2015.
So let's take it back a step.
In July of 2012 a company by the name of Oxitec started a program meant to release genetically-modified mosquitos in Brazil with the goal of "significantly reducing the incidence of Dengue Fever". This was meant to be achieved by modifying the Aedes mosquitos, which as we already discussed above are responsible for spreading several of the Flaviviridae.
By July of 2015 Oxitec reported that they had " successfully controlled the Aedes aegypti mosquito by reducing the target population by over 90%".
The way that his was done is as follows: Oxitec created a strain of genetically-modified (GM) mosquitos - O513A. They were modified so that "most" offspring would die off before reaching maturity.
Dr. Ricarda Steinbrecher ( a well-known molecular geneticist and developmental biologist ) and several of her colleagues warned Oxitec in September of 2010 that a survival rate of at least 3-4%, but up to 15% had been shown due to a fault in their hypothesis.
In theory, only male GM mosquitos were supposed to be released, which would then mate with the unaltered females in the wild, and trigger the wanted response in their offspring and kill the larvae.
In reality however, this response could significantly be inhibited by the presence of Tetracyclines, a antibiotic used to treat number bacterial infections.
The problem with this correlation is that Brazil is the country that is 3rd in the world for using tetracyclines in its food animals - especially poultry.
The GM mosquito larvae were fed using cat food- which typically contains a large amount of poor-quality meats, especially chicken. In Brazil, this chicken was treated with tetracyclines.
The American Society of Agronomy et al. stated that even though approximately 75% of these antibiotics used in food animals were not absorbed by the animals but instead excreted in their waste, this still leaves a large percentage left in the animal. Tetracyclines were named specifically in this study.
The cat-food fed GM mosquitos were thus exposed to potentially significant levels of tetracyclines, which would inhibit the deadly effects.
On top of this, released GM mosquitos without their "safety switch" in the wild, will most likely lead to further mutations.
Just a few hours ago, ABC NEWS shared a story about 36 confirmed cases of ZIKV in the United States - this includes four pregnant women ( two of which are in Illinois, one in Washington D.C. and one in New York).
According to the CDC, this virus is now spread across 11 states, but supposedly all patients infected themselves outside of the U.S. before returning.
One woman in Hawaii is also believed to have had the Zika Virus after having given birth to a child with microcephaly.
A Houston Woman ( Lizzie M.) infected herself with the virus in El Salvador over Christmas break and describes her symptoms as " extreme fatigue, nausea and a large rash" all over her body. " You have no strength or energy to sit down. You just want to lie down and sleep".
ZIKV Symptoms
Once again, the reported symptoms of Zika Virus are:
- fever
- rash
- joint pain
- conjunctivitis
- muscle pains
- nausea
The symptoms typically last for several days up to a week. The incubation time ( time from exposure to becoming symptomatic is not well known but it is assumed to be anywhere between a few days to 2 weeks. It has been shown to remain in the patient's blood for at least a few days but the possibility of a longer infection has not been ruled out.
Only 1 in 5 cases typically exhibits these symptoms, which can contribute to the spread of the disease across the United States.
Another potentially lethal disease has been linked to ZIKV - Guillain-Barré disease ( an immunological reaction that causes temporary, ascending paralysis, which occurs after exposure to viral and bacterial infections). Guillain-Barré - if left untreated- starts at the distal parts of your body ( feet, legs) and the paralysis works its way upwards until your respiratory capacities are effected. Without treatment with Immunoglobulins and supportive care that might extend to intubation to support breathing, this can be lethal!
Mode of Transmission
The most common mode of transmission of the Zika Virus is through the bite of the Aedes mosquito. An uninfected mosquito can also get infected itself if biting a human that was previously infected with the virus and can continue spreading the disease.
The vertical transmission between mother-and-child has also been shown, though it is not as common, so the child is at risk for infection with the virus through the placenta and as well during the birthing process, which can lead to microcephaly as described above.
Whether or not breastfeeding is safe for infected mothers, has not been conclusively ruled out but the general recommendation is to avoid breastfeeding if you suspect that you have been infected.
As it is a blood borne disease , transmission can also occur through contact with blood as well as sperm or vaginal secretions.
Therapies
No vaccines or medications are currently available. President Obama has recently called for research into a vaccine - but when or if this will be available is still questionable on top of whether or not the benefits of this vaccine will outweigh the risks and side-effects often attributed to other vaccinations.
Only symptomatic treatment is possible:
- get as much rest as possible
- up your fluid intake ( oral or I.V.)
- take fever reducers like acetaminophen
IMPORTANT: DO NOT TAKE ASPIRIN OR Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDS) like Ibuprofen or Naproxen until Dengue Fever has been ruled out in order to minimize the risk of hemorrhage (bleeding).
Prevention
It is my personal opinion, that prevention will be the key factor in stopping the spread of this disease.
- conventional mosquito repellants may be useful
- wear clothing that covers your arms and legs if possible
- since mosquitos, and especially the Aedes family are typically active during the daytime and breed in standing water sources, look around your property and dump any breeding source ( rain water collection barrels, vases, pots etc). The Aedes mosquito can reportedly only fly up to 400 feet so removing any breeding grounds within that distance of your home should prevent mosquito bites or at the very least significantly reduce them.
- for more natural remedies a bug repellant can be made out of essential oils
For mosquitos, the following essential oils have been proven to be effective ( in any given combination): citronella, lemon eucalyptus, peppermint, lemon, eucalyptus, catnip, basil, clove, thyme, lemongrass, geranium and lavender.
Also Neem Oil, vodka, garlic and vanilla extract have been found to be useful additives.
Natural Bug Repellent Spray:
in a 4 oz spray bottle ( preferably made out of brown or blue glass) mix :
2 oz of distilled or boiled water +
1 oz of witch hazel or vodka +
50-75 drops of essential oils of your preference ( make sure they are therapeutic grade! )
Shake the mixture before each use as the water and oils will separate.
If you would like to use essential oils, please be sure to do your research and find pure, therapeutic grade oils. Ingestion of oils has not been studied or approved by the FDA, and oils do not undergo the same tests as pharmaceutical drugs go, so be sure to study proper application techniques ( undiluted vs. diluted), contraindications and drug interactions .
For my personal use and use in my family I have chosen the Eden's garden essential oils, which can be purchased directly through their website or through Amazon. If you want to commit to buying several of their oils I have found their website to be priced a little better, but if you simply want to try a few oils before committing to an entire kit, I would recommend ordering them from Amazon - especially if you have a PRIME Membership, your oils will be delivered much faster and it saves you a little money!
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