Blog entry 6

Zika Virus

Noah Swart

Environmental Health

   The modern world sees its fair share of deadly viruses, just recently the Ebola outbreak in Southern Africa left the world wondering how it would leave its mark. As public fear of the disease reaches its height the disease usually starts to die down, from either public health efforts or its inability to spread fast enough before the host’s death. The Zika virus isn’t deadly or even all that harmful to most normal health people, but the reason it’s getting such news traction and public health awareness is because of its unique effect on the unborn fetus.

Effects of Microcephaly 

travel

   The Zika virus has been linked to birth defects in the fetuses of affected women that become pregnant or are pregnant when exposed to the virus. The babies are born with an undersized head and an underdeveloped brain, this defect is referred to as Microcephaly. This link was first noticed in Brazil this May and has since been spreading through a unique mosquito population that’s already infamous for its ability to carry the west Nile virus. Now the Worldwide Health Organization has been struggling to figure out how to prevent and control the outbreaks.

   Health organizations all around have pinpointed the spread to that of bugs, mostly mosquito's around the world. This would explain why it hasn’t spread widely into North America as it’s currently in the winter seasons and mosquito's can’t survive through the harsh cold weather.  Drastic measures have already been taken in South American countries such as the use of large mosquito pesticides to kill off the large brooding population.

  The most effective way to stop the spread is to simply inform the population about the dangers and how to protect themselves from getting infected in the first place. Secondly, it’s important to make sure those that have already been exposed to the Zika virus have gone through the stages of sickness and don’t have any of the virus still lingering in them. This is to be sure that it cannot spread to family members or friends. Flights in and out of affected countries are monitored to prevent a large scale spread via travel. These are all simple but effective methods health organizations use to prevent and control the spread.