The Zika virus , which has been spread out through the Western Hemisphere and Western news retail store since late last year , has instigate the World Health Organization toconvene an Emergency Committee , and various American agency toissue travel warnings . Now that Brazilian researchershave discoveredyet another condition cause by Zika – acute disseminated encephalomyelitis , which affects the fundamental unquiet system of rules and can even lead to temporary palsy – the computer virus has been on the top of many minds , and for sure on top of their Facebook newsfeeds .
It ’s also gross out a circle of people out . Shouldyoube freaking out ? ! A public wellness functionary , a medical doctor , and an epidemiologist are here to help oneself you pilot all the warnings , contradiction , rumour , and whether you should stick with your Brazilian vacation plans , stock up on condoms and DEET , or move tomosquito - gratuitous Iceland .
What’s this disease going to do to me?
For those ( relatively few ) people who do get sick , theresultis essentially a febrility , pain in the spliff , reckless , and red eye for a week or less . That means you might be wholly oblivious to having gotten it , and the worst you’re able to experience is that it ’ll be like you ’ve simultaneously compress a cold , smoked sess , and had an allergic chemical reaction – but you ’ll be fine in no prison term .
So that ’s not the issue ; the problem with Zika is its potential link tomicrocephaly . “ The natural event of severe innate defect associated with Zika computer virus infection makes it different and of corking concern compared with other disease , ” Benjamin Schwartz , deputy sheriff chieftain for Acute Communicable Disease Control at theLA County Department of Public Health , says . " We have n’t had a new infective disease cause of stern birth defects name in over 50 years . ” So that ’s what all the flap is about .
How will I get Zika, which doesn’t sound all that bad because I’m not pregnant?
The virus can be spread through mosquito bites , through intimate touch , or through the blood . So if you ’re not meaning , not sleep with someone who ’s pregnant , not acquire anyone meaning , and not donating blood , go to Brazil ( or one of the otheractive transmission system countries ) , correct ? Except , see above , it still sucks and you never cognise , souse bug spray .
Does it definitely cause microcephaly or other birth defects?
It would be prissy to blame microcephaly – when an infant ’s psyche is pocket-size than expected , sometimes associate with developmental problem – on somethingother than Zika . Then we could dismantle the committees , take down the travel word of advice , and just call this whole thing off . regrettably , the link is seeming increasingly probable . At first , epidemiologist saw that the extortionate rise in microcephaly case in Brazil chance right around the same time that the Zika virus began to appear there , but now there ’s evenmore evidence .
“ The genome of the Zika computer virus , as well as antibodies , were notice in the amnionic fluid of pregnant char with microcephalic fetuses . Zika virus genome was also detected in mental capacity tissue from newborns with microcephaly who died , ” explainsDr . Shirit Einav , of the Stanford School of Medicine . “ These information indicate that at some point during the pregnancy the computer virus cut across the placenta . ” And that ’s alas some middling legit evidence .
Where the hell did this demon disease come from?
Carried by theAedesmosquito ( do n’t drive yourself screwball pronouncing it , it ’s just “ ' 80s mosquito ” ) , Zika has been around foralmost 70 years in other part . What makes it a big deal now is that it ’s new in the Western Hemisphere . “ In the Americas , the whole universe , as far as we cognise , was naive . That means they ’d never been endanger to Zika virus – which mean that everybody has the electrical capacity to get it , ” epidemiologistAubree Gordon , PhD , of the University of Michigan School of Public Health , says . “ When you have a tumid population where everybody can get it , that ’s a situation where you’re able to have a really large outbreak . ”
The theory is that in Africa , by the time a woman is take in children , she ’s plausibly already been exhibit to the Zika virus and her consistency have a go at it how to manage with it , whereas here it ’s a different story . Basically , Westerners were kind of caught off guard with this Zika business .
Does the whole thing about sexual transmission mean it’s an STD?
At this point , it ’s middling much a done slew that the Zika computer virus can propagate through sex , found onthat case in Texas , and more that the Centers for Disease Control ( CDC)is look at . In the US , this seems scarier than the mosquito thing because you ’re probably more likely to have sex than go on a tropic vacation . That ’s important , andthe CDC cave in advice on what to do . Basically , for heterosexual couples , it ’s condom or no fun for a while if the dude has traveled to one of the areas where Zika - infect mosquito are active . And condom are generally a near idea for everyone .
You have to be careful on an private grade , but as Dr. Gordon target out , sexual transmission is n’t likely to have a major shock on the US universe : “ One of the large thing is that usually – not always , but commonly – people do n’t have sexual activity with that many people … in a myopic period of clock time . ” She has luck of self-confidence in your game , folks ! “ Most sexually conduct disease , like HIV , syphilis , and gonorrhea , have accommodate to that in that you are infectious for a very long period of time . With Zika , we still think it ’s a short full stop of time that you ’re infectious . ”
So if you ’re not getting it in all over the place during that probably short period ( how farseeing incisively is one of those maddening unknowns ) , you wo n’t be personally responsible for an epidemic . At leastthat’sgood , right ? “ If you look at the epidemiology of the disease – who gets it , where they get it – it is more ordered with the mosquito being by far the predominant path that the computer virus is spread , rather than through sexual urge , ” contribute Dr. Schwartz .
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Bottom line: don’t freak out (yet)
As a recentLancetarticlepointed out , no one ’s disquieted about Zika because scientist know too much about it . They ’re still trying to establish whether Zika is to charge for microcephalus , and during which part of pregnancy it ’s most dangerous . As far as sexual urge is occupy , the experts listed tons of question yet to be answer . How long after picking up the computer virus can a guy spread the infection through semen ? Is he catching if he does n’t have symptom ? Can women launch the infection , too ? The public wellness multitude are shrugging their shoulders , but they ’re on it .
International organizations , doctor , scientists , and health official are up to their ears in Zika study , holding meeting , doing tests , make manakin , comport surveillance , and working on mosquito control . “ No mosquitoes taint with Zika virus have been found in the US to date … [ and ] adequate vector surveillance and control condition should … prevent local bed cover , ” Dr. Einav notes reassuringly .
There’sprobablyno need to flee to Iceland , but condoms and a near eye on CDC updates , WHO news , and thetravel advisorieswon’t hurt .
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Marina Komarovskyis a freelance author for Thrillist , and she ’s really over seeing close down - up photos of mosquito prick the great unwashed . For more on wellness , espouse her tweets:@MariKomarovsky .
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