Latest update April 7th, 2026 12:30 AM
Keeping an eye on Zika
Apr 20, 2016 Editorial, Features / Columnists
Recent reports seem to suggest that the Zika virus is spreading faster than at first thought, so it is very important for the Guyana government, through the Ministry of Health, to keep a very keen eye on developments. The virus has already spread to several countries in the Caribbean and Latin America. In the United States, almost 350 people in 30 states have been infected.
In May 2015, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) issued an alert that several cases of the Zika virus were confirmed in Brazil. And by Feb 1, 2016, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the Zika virus a global pandemic and a public health emergency of international concern, calling for a coordinated multilateral response from all countries to prevent it from spreading.
Since then, the virus has spread to several other countries and territories, with Brazil being the most affected. Most medical experts believe that the virus will continue to spread to new areas. Prior to 2015, Zika outbreaks occurred primarily in sections of Africa, South-East Asia, and the Pacific Islands. Zika was not then regarded as a clear and present danger, only as just another mosquito-borne virus.
Zika virus is spread to people primarily through the bite of infected Aedes species mosquitoes. The most common symptoms are similar to other viruses; namely fever, rash, joint pain, and conjunctivitis. Like other viruses, the illness is usually mild, with symptoms lasting from several days to a week after being bitten by an infected mosquito. People usually do not get sick enough to go to the hospital, and they very rarely die of the virus. For this reason, many people might not realize they have been infected.
Once a person has been infected, he or she is likely to be protected from future infections. It was only recently suggested that the Zika virus is associated with or causes deformity in newborn babies, and could be spread by sexual transmission. Pregnant women should avoid being bitten by mosquitoes. Awareness of the virus is now bordering on panic, because of the rapidly increasing number of reported cases.
A year ago, Guyana was relatively ill-prepared and ineffective in preventing the spread and ravages of the Chikungunya virus. Currently, there are only eight cases of the Zika virus reported here, but the public is still concerned about the virus spreading, even though precautionary measures are being taken by the Ministry of Public Health to prevent an outbreak.
The concern is well founded because there is no known treatment or vaccine currently available. Furthermore, Guyana is fiscally strapped and does not have the resources to increase overall expenditure on health care. Therefore it will be necessary for the government to revise its spending to create sufficient resources, supplemented by grants from international institutions, to treat the Zika virus with the urgency it requires.
Information about the virus is continuously evolving. And while there is no vaccine yet to prevent it, the National Institutes of Health in the United States, has stated that the testing of a vaccine will begin in September, but it could be months, if not years, before a vaccine is ready. Unfortunately, this means that the only effective action is prevention against mosquito bites.
According to the WHO, the Zika virus causes microcephaly and other serious brain anomalies, a condition where babies have unusually small heads and underdeveloped brains. Zika also causes progressive muscle weakness that can lead to temporary paralysis. Never before in history has a mosquito-borne virus caused such birth defects. And it has been more than half a century since an infectious disease has caused an epidemic of birth defects, the last one being rubella. Because the symptoms of the Zika virus are very mild, many cases may not have been recognized.
We need to keep an eye on Zika.
Discover more from Kaieteur News
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.