This week the World Health Organization declared Zika virus to be a global health emergency.
Zika Virus Has Spread Far and Wide:
The virus is turning out to be much more widespread than most people realized. It has been detected in 24 countries in the Americas and is found in many parts of Africa and the Pacific islands. Brazilian health authorities suspect that a visitor from Oceania or Africa was infected when he or she came to the soccer World Cup in 2014.
Zika Can Be Transmitted Through Sex:
Doctors in the U.S. have recently confirmed that Zika virus, which is usually transmitted through mosquito bites, can also be spread through sexual contact. A patient in Dallas, Texas, caught the disease by having sex with an individual who had been traveling in an area where Zika virus is prevalent.
Why Health Officials Are Frightened of Zika Virus:
Although the focus has been, justifiably, on the probable connection between Zika virus infection during pregnancy and the birth defect called microcephaly, there do appear to be other possible complications for adults.
Guillain-Barré Syndrome:
In Venezuela and Colombia, health authorities have noted an increase in cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome that they believe is linked to Zika. This neurological condition can sometimes result in long-lasting paralysis.
Hearing Loss:
Hearing loss has also been linked to the virus. A Brazilian doctor who specializes in treating ear, nose and throat conditions has had a number of patients who have experienced tinnitus, dizziness and measurable hearing loss in the aftermath of a Zika infection. All have recovered, although it took months for some.
Have Health Officials Been Ignoring Zika Virus for Too Long?
Although Zika has only been making headlines in the last several weeks, it is clear that this virus has been widespread for many years. Epidemiologists have just begun to recognize the scope of the problem, but we still don’t know how far it is spread and the full range of complications that it can cause both in adults and children. As long as it was considered a tropical disease that affected primarily poor countries in other places, it did not get the attention we now clearly see it deserves.
