News of the virus zika have begun to open a growing gap between television news. But what is the Zika virus? How is it transmitted? What are the symptoms?We give you all the keys.
What is zika virus?
Zika is transmitted by the Aedes mosquito virus. This is the same family of mosquito which is responsible for the transmission of other human diseases such as yellow fever, dengue and chikungunya.
What are the symptoms of zika?
In fact, the zica not noted for their symptoms, and in 80% of cases are asymptomatic, so your infection may go unnoticed altogether. The remaining 20% may have symptoms such as fever, headache, rash and joint pain.
How dangerous is zika?
In most people it does not, but it can be a hazard for pregnant women. Why? The infected pregnant women can pass the virus zika the fetus. In some cases (not all) infection in the fetus may cause the suffering microscopically , a genetic disorder associated with a small head and incomplete brain development. Life expectancy of these babies is limited.
This is the main cause of the emergency has unleashed Zika virus in many Latin American countries.
How zika spread?
Zika is an arbovirus (arthropod-borne virus). It is transmitted by the mosquito Aedes aegypti. This mosquito lives mainly in tropical areas of the world. A. aegypti is well adapted to living with humans, laying eggs in standing water. They feed almost exclusively on humans (of blood). Thus, biting humans as inoculating transmit the virus from person to person.
They can be daytime biters, so some interventions to keep mosquitoes away, like putting nets, they are not as useful. They also travel well and can be spread by ships or aircraft moving around the world.
When the zika arise?
We have known the zika since 1947, when it was discovered in a monkey in the Zika forest in Uganda (hence its name). The first documented human case occurred in Nigeria in 1968.
The Zika first appeared in Brazil in mid-2015, possibly introduced from French Polynesia during the World Cup 2014. The active transmission of the virus has been confirmed in 22 countries as of January 28. Many of them are popular tourist destinations .
