Zika Virus: The Emerging Global Health Challenge
Autor: | Innocent Igwebueze Okafor |
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Rok vydání: | 2016 |
Předmět: |
0301 basic medicine
Aedes medicine.medical_specialty Health (social science) biology business.industry viruses Public health Congenital microcephaly biology.organism_classification Virology Virus Zika virus 03 medical and health sciences 030104 developmental biology 0302 clinical medicine 030220 oncology & carcinogenesis Global health Medicine Viral spread business Subclinical infection |
Zdroj: | Diversity & Equality in Health and Care. 13 |
ISSN: | 2049-5471 |
Popis: | Zika virus is a Flavi virus that is transmitted mostly by Aedes mosquitos. It was first isolated from a febrile rhesus monkey in the Zika forest of Uganda in 1947. Studies suggested wide spreads of the virus throughout Africa and Asia with over 40% of Nigerian adults and 25% of Nigerian children having antibodies to zika virus. The virus remained virtually unknown for over 70 years as the infections were “harmless”, sporadic, subclinical or asymptomatic in 80% of the cases. The current explosive spread of the virus, and its strong link to congenital microcephaly and Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) in Brazil and other Americas made zika virus “a Public Health Emergency of International Concern” with emerging global health challenge. The challenges include non-availability of antiviral drugs or vaccines to combat the rapid viral spread, threat of worldwide spread of the “Brazilian” strain of the virus after the 2016 Olympics in Brazil, prevention of mosquito bites and zika virus infections especially in women of the reproductive age, and filling the gaps in knowledge about the virus vectors and reservoirs, and the pathogenesis. The objectives of this review are to update knowledge on the origin, spread and virology of zika virus, and the associated neurological complications sequel. We made recommendations for prevention of zika virus infections, and identified areas of future researches. |
Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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