Is zika curable?

Do you want to get to know about the Zika virus? Is it curable? Read in the article.


Zika virus is widening in tropical and subtropical climates, especially strong it “went wild” in Brazil. WHO Official sources report that there are more than 4 million victims of this disease all over the world.

The infection enters the blood of a person through the bite of mosquitoes belonging to the genus Aedes. Within a few days, infected has a high body temperature, a characteristic skin rash, redness of the conjunctiva and sclera of eyes.

Zika virus strain was first discovered in Uganda, while there was the scientific study of a yellow fever virus. He was found in the blood of macaques in 1947, further studies have shown its presence in the body of people in the country, and then were found infected across the continent.

Zika virus

The disease was named after the location of detection of the first carrier of the virus, monkey caught in Zika forest, literally "forest thicket."

In the XXI century disease started its "journey" in the world. At the end of 2015, the spread of the disease has become an epidemic in Brazil. In 23 countries, there were found patients with Zika virus.

Mosquitoes, the carriers of the virus choose their victims either in the early morning or late evening. By a bite of the blood-sucking virus is introduced into the blood and spreads throughout the body.

This type of mosquito is very dangerous for people; it carries several kinds of dangerous fevers It was established that Zika virus can also be carried from person to person during sex and from mother to child in utero.

Zika virus

There is a little information about the incubation period of the disease, but probably it can last from 1 to 3 days. Symptoms are expressed softly and are similar to other infectious diseases. High temperature, muscle and joint pain, weakness, fatigue, skin rashes and itching.

The course of infection is always acute; the disease does not accept chronic forms. It passes quickly enough, but the virus is able to influence the genetic structure of the human body and cause rare, but dangerous complications.

READ ALSO: Is zika virus deadly?

In the midst of an epidemic the health authorities of the countries in which occurred the outbreak of Zika virus, there were reported some cases of neurological and psychiatric disorders about which told infected people as well as the negative impact of the virus on human immunity. Also grew the number of people suffering from rare Guillain-Barré syndrome, which causes untreatable paralysis and death.

Pathogenic effect of the virus on the entire course of the embryonic development of the fetus was confirmed. Striking pregnant women, it provokes the formation of brain disorders of children and can cause severe microcephaly. Head and brain of children have smaller than normal size, in future; these children become stunted and can become dwarfs.

It is hard to establish the diagnosis because there are thousands of other viruses with common symptoms. Zika fever infection can be confirmed only by special laboratory methods of processing blood from a vein.

There is no specific remedy of the disease, and also there is no either vaccine against the virus or sustainable immunity. Patients are prescribed with bed rest, drinking plenty of fluids and receiving symptomatic drugs. For others, they are not dangerous, and after consultation with the doctor can be treated at home.

Preventive measures

The main forces during the fever outbreaks are sent to fight the infection distributors’ mosquitoes; work is being done in two ways: -destruction of habitats of blood-suckers;

-the decrease of probable contacts between people and mosquitoes.

The population is recommended to use repellents actively, avoid places of clusters of insects, bathing in ponds, forest visits, also use clothes covering the greater part of the body, install mosquito nets at home, to use ultrasonic devices which repel bloodsuckers. The rapid spread of the disease across the globe causes worrying and anxiety of medical authorities. Hundreds of babies with microcephaly in Brazil shocked the public and representatives of the WHO organisation. In the western hemisphere, the virus is actively spreading. Experts of the World Health Organization started its activities in the following areas:

-encouraging and promoting scientific research in the study of the virus and its impact on the course of pregnancy, the creation of vaccines and medicines for the treatment of diseases;

-exercising strict control over the observance of the epidemic regime in the areas of infection;

-aid organisation for the creation and financing of laboratory facilities for the study of the virus;

-preparation and implementation of an advisory nature of documentation for the prophylaxis of the virus.

Zika virus

First in February 2016 in Geneva, the WHO held a meeting of members to discuss the strategy of containment of the virus. The head of the organisation Margaret Chan announced that the level of danger Zika virus is extremely high. Summarising all the above, we can draw the following conclusions:

  • the disease spreads ultra fast, ahead of all the research on its study;
  • pharmaceutical agents to combat the virus does not exist, work on developing a vaccine is not even begun;
  • Empirical data indirectly confirm the deleterious effect of the virus on the human offsprings;
  • WHO experts are trying to carefully examine the problem, to develop and implement a system of measures to combat the disease, its prevention and reduction of complications from the infection.

Currently, Zika virus remains poorly studied disease, its impact on the field of humanity is not enough analysed, so scientists and practicing doctors have still a lot of work to solve this puzzle.

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