Zika Virus Research Paper

Abstract

The ZIKAV is a virus that was discovered in 1949 in the Zika forest in monkeys by a group of scientists who were researching yellow fever. It was later discovered on an Aedes mosquito in the same forest. The virus is largely transmitted through mosquito bites from an infected person. Later in 1952, the infection was discovered in people in Tanzania and Uganda. The virus seen the time has been popular in Africa as well as Asia till 2007 when there was an epidemic that has continued to affect people from different nations all around the world. Zika is transmitted mainly through mosquito bites. However, it has been discovered that the virus can be spread through other ways such as sexual relations with an infected person, transplacental transmission, blood transfusions, and contact with other body fluids from an infected person. The virus is characterized by mild symptoms that disappear after a few days. However, there has not been any treatment or vaccination discovered for the virus. However, individuals can prevent infection by taking necessary precautions at all time.

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Zika Virus

Introduction

There are some diseases that emerge every other day. Some of these diseases are very contagious whereas others are easily treated. As has been the case, the world has seen a rapid increase in the number of individuals who are affected by diseases. The most people who are affected are the poor people who do not have access to health facilities. Some diseases like ebola emerge once and then disappear only to reappear after some time. The Zika Virus is also an example of one such disease that appears and then vanishes for some time only to reappear again. This dissertation will focus on Zika virus, its history, structure, diagnosis, transmission, definition, symptoms, and its prevention.

Many studies have been conducted now and then to analyze the Zika virus. Scientists have been able to learn about its structure and how the virus replicates itself. However, a cure for the Zika virus is not known yet, but people can easily prevent themselves from it. The virus can affect all individuals regardless of age or occupation. Currently, there are many outbreaks that are occurring in different countries of the Zika virus. Over the years, the Zika virus has been a growing concern has been endemic in Africa and was also reported in the Americas and Carribean. In the past 8-9 years, the disease has caused epidemics mainly in the tropical regions where the mosquitos breed easily. The disease is caused by Aedes mosquitos. Zika virus is a disease that was originated from the monkeys that live in Uganda's Zika forest. From the monkeys, the disease was later found in the human beings. An infection that is primarily spread by Aedes mosquito is the main transmitter of this particular disease. It is also likely that the disease is spread among human beings through sexual contacts. ZIKAV has spread to various nations in the world at the moment. Some of the signs of Zika virus on the people that have it include mild fever, rashes on the skin, ache on the muscles as well as the joints, headaches, and others. A person that shows these symptoms and others is likely to be infected with the virus. This can only be confirmed by carrying laboratory tests on such body fluids as blood, semen, and saliva. This disease is not that serious, and thus it does not require a specific way to treat it. The disease can be prevented by avoiding mosquito bites and being careful when having sexual contacts. The virus is also common in the United States of America as many people are diagnosed with the same infection from time to time. However, the number has been going down currently because most people are aware of the condition. The healthcare workers and the travelers are at a higher risk of contracting the infection. Therefore, they should follow the necessary steps to avoid getting infected.

It is worth mentioning that Zika virus caused the Zika virus disease that is spread largely by Aedes mosquitoes. The mosquito-borne virus was initially discovered in 1947 in Uganda, Africa in monkeys through a group that examined yellow fever virus. Far along in 1952, the infection was recognized in people in Uganda and Tanzania. In 1969, the virus was found in Asia. Researchers record that there is a possibility that the virus could have existed in the areas for a much longer time before it was found or discovered. The Zika virus was first reported in other continents apart from Africa and Asia in 2007 when there was an epidemic in the Yap State of Micronesia. Ever since then, an outbreak of the virus has been reported in various parts of the world including Africa, Asia, America, and the Pacific. In 2015, more outbreaks were re-counted in Pacific Islands, and different parts of America, and the Caribbean (Mlacker et al., 2016). Notably, the Zika virus outbreaks are ongoing in America and other nations around the world.

Although the Zika virus has been in existence since 1947 when it was first reported in Uganda, there has not been much research done on the virus until recently when the outbreak has spread to more countries in 2015. Before then, it was only assumed that the virus only caused mild discomfort and symptoms. Therefore, not much research was done to identify the adverse effects and prevention of the virus. Intense research is being done in the recent past due to the rapid spread of the illness at an alarming rate in America and the Caribbean. It is worth mentioning that from close observations and research, it has been established that the virus can be spread not only by mosquito bites but also from one person to the other through sexual involvement with an infected person. Additionally, the Zika virus has adverse effects on the health of the people and especially pregnant women, the infant born children, as well as the fetus (Samaraseker & Triunfol, 2016). As a result, the ZIKV has become a danger to the international health security.

History and Background of Zika Virus

In 1947, researchers who were researching the yellow fever virus in the Zika forest in Uganda identified a new virus. The virus was discovered in the rhesus monkey which is one of the well-known species of old monkeys in the world. To identify the virus, the scientists made the first isolation of the rhesus monkeys in April 1947 in the canopy of the Zika forest where they closely observed the infected animals. Later the following year in January 1948, the scientists made second isolation but this time from a lot of the monkeys on the same forest. Therefore, the scientists named the virus that was then unrecorded the Zika virus after the area from where the separations and discovery were made.

During this time the scientists carried out different tests to identify if the virus was related to dengue, yellow fever, or other viruses that had been previously recorded (Dick, Kitchen & Haddow, 1952). However, through cross-neutralization tests, the scientists found out that although the virus was not either of the previously discovered viruses, it was related and belonged to the same family as the dengue virus and yellow fever.

Zika infection is a mild mosquito-borne disease that is caused by bites from infected mosquitoes. The mosquitoes also acquire the virus when it bites a person that is already infected by the virus. Aedes aegypti also identified as the yellow fever mosquito as well as Aedes albopictus; the Asian tiger mosquito are the two exclusive mosquitos that transmit the virus. These two species of mosquitoes are mostly found in places with a large number of people, both inside or outside the houses. The mosquitoes mostly bite during the day. They are exclusively identified by the bold black and white markings on their bodies that distinguish them from regular mosquitoes which usually are gray or brown. When an infected mosquito bites an infected person, it automatically acquires the virus and transmits it to other people through the same criteria. Other than the Zika virus, the mosquitoes are also identified as the primary transmitters of other viruses like dengue and chikungunya illness. Zika is also sexually transmitted as it is found in semen.

Scientists categorize the infection to be from Flaviviridae family in the scientific taxonomy of animals. It is further categorized under the flavivirus genus. Apparently, the discoveries were made in monkeys, and no report of infection in human had been recounted around this period. However, fourteen years later, that is, 1954, after the isolation of the infection from rhesus monkeys in Uganda, the very first outbreak of the Zika infection was reported in Nigeria. During this period, more mysterious human infections that were sporadic in nature were reported in Africa. The sporadic infections existed for over 50 years until one incidence of ZIKAV was discovered in Micronesia. The epidemic outbreak occurred in 2007, and this caught the attention of disease research and control experts and organizations. Since then, most regions of the world have reported the outbreak and the effects of Zika virus.

According to historical records, Zika Virus was has invaded Africa, the islands of Pacific Ocean as well as in the Southern Asia region. The disease-associated was discovered in Northeastern Brazil a region located in the Western Hemisphere. The discovery was made in 2015 in May. After the discovery, the disease continued to spread, and reports indicate that it invaded the Islands in the Carribean. The Carribean is adjacent to other nations which include South American countries such as Mexico, Uruguay, Colombia, Peru and Chile among others. Apparently, reports from scientists indicate that the Zika Virus was reported, at one time, in Central America. The spread of the virus since the fists discovery has been rampant, and many areas have continued to be affected. In the most recent cases of the epidemic of the ZIKAV, individuals In the U.S w...