Zika Virus: Global Health Emergency

The massive onset of the Zika virus, which the World Health Organization recently declared a global health emergency, may lead to the first cancellation of the Olympic Games since 1944.

Zika has a short cycle, lasting less than a week, and symptoms include joint pain, fever, rash and conjunctivitis (red eyes). Most people who contract Zika have no idea they have it, and we still don’t know all the effects, which WHO official Bruce Aylward says makes the virus “much more insidious, cunning and evil” than Ebola. Additionally, women who are or may be pregnant are at a greater risk because the virus is linked to the rare birth defect microcephaly, which causes head and brain abnormalities. Zika has also been linked to Guillain-Barre Syndrome, a neurological disorder that causes paralysis.

More than 1.5 million Brazilians have been infected since early 2015, and Brazil recorded more than three times the annual average rate for cases of microcephaly between October and February. On February 11, Brazil noted its third Zika-related death. According to a recent health bulletin, there are 31,555 cases of Zika in Colombia, and 5,013 of those infected are pregnant women. Zika isn’t just in South America—the virus has spread up Central America to Mexico and has also been detected in the Caribbean, Pacific Islands and Cape Verde. Additionally, there have been more than 50 cases of Americans infected abroad.

At the moment, there is no vaccine for Zika. Over the weekend, more than 200,000 soldiers were deployed across Brazil to combat the virus, spreading information and precautions to the public. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have labeled Zika a Level 1 threat. The CDC urges pregnant women to avoid infected areas altogether, and travelers should take precautions to avoid bug bites such as wearing long sleeves and applying an insect repellent that contains at least 20% DEET. It might also help to consult travel insurance policies. Although it’s mainly associated with the Aedes mosqiuto, Zika can also be transmitted sexually, so abstain or use a condom.

While Olympic officials say this summer’s ceremonies are still on, a number of athletes have voiced their fears. The potential loss in Olympic revenue could cripple Brazil’s economy even further. The Olympic Games are scheduled to run from August 5 to 21 in Rio de Janiero.

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Study reveals: majority of women are unaware about safe abortion in Nepal

As many as 62 per cent of women in Nepal have no idea about the safe abortion, a study reveals.

At a program organized here today by Asia Safe Abortion Partnership (ASAP), Youth Champion Advocacy Network (Youth CAN) and Media Advocacy Group (MAG), it shared that although services on safe abortions were rendered in the country since 2002, majority of the women still lacked adequate information about it.

Ananda Tamang, Director of CREHPA, an NGO working in the field of environment, health and population, shared that the unsafe abortions were mostly found to have done in 13 districts, including Kaski, Tanahu, Kavrepalanchowk and Bhaktapur.

Chairperson Tamang believed that women opting abortion no longer have to endure pain during the termination of the pregnancy as various researches were being carried out to manufacture pain killer medicines for the same.

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What is Zika Virus? Where did it come from?

Zika virus  (ZIKV) is a member of the virus family Flaviviridae and the genus Flavivirus, transmitted by daytime-active Aedes mosquitoes, such as A. aegyptia and A. albopictus. Its name comes from the Zika Forest of Uganda, where the virus was first isolated in 1947. Zika virus is related to dengue, yellow fever, Japanese encephalitis, and West Nile viruses.

Zika virus had been known to infect humans from the results of serological surveys in Uganda and Nigeria. A serological survey of 84 people of all ages showed 50 had antibodies, with all above 40 years of age being immune.

It was not until 1954 that the successful isolation of Zika virus from a human was published. This came as part of a 1952 outbreak investigation of jaundice suspected to be yellow fever. It was found in the blood of a 10 year old Nigerian female with low grade fever, headache, and evidence of malaria, but no jaundice, who recovered within three days. Blood was injected into the brain of laboratory mice, followed by up to 15 mice passages. The virus from mouse brains was then tested in neutralization tests using rhesus monkey sera specifically immune to Zika virus. In contrast, no virus was isolated from the blood of two infected adults with fever, jaundice, coughs, diffuse joint pains in one and fever, headache, pain behind the eyes and in the joints. Infection was proven by a rise in Zika virus specific serum antibodies. A 1952 research study conducted in India had shown a "significant number" of Indians tested for Zika had exhibited an immune response to the virus, suggesting it had long been widespread within human populations.

Is  Nepal under the threat of Zika virus?

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