Zika virus has been peppering the news the last few weeks as
cases have begun to emerge in the United States. What the news anchors most
likely won’t tell you is that Zika is just the most recent of the “tropical”
diseases to make its way into the US. Also, they probably won’t mention that
transmission of Zika within the US is unlikely at this point, so efforts for
disease control and eradication should be focused at the epicenter of the
outbreak, South America. Here are the facts of this disease.
Zika is not a new virus. Outbreaks have occurred throughout
Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific Islands since the 1950's, long before
the outbreak of 2015 that caught the media buzz. The infections spread to
Brazil in May 2015, and have disseminated from there for the past 9 months.
Zika virus is transmitted between people by the bite of an infected female Aedes mosquito. The Aedes mosquito is also responsible for the transmission of Dengue
virus and the emerging Chicunguña virus, which have also recently popped up on the radar of Americans. These mosquitoes are very common near
the equatorial zone of the globe, including the southern US states, but not as
common farther north.
At this time, the only real way to deal with Zika virus
infection is to prevent mosquito bites. There is no vaccine for the virus, and
also no cure. Once infected, an individual has about a one in five chance of
developing illness. However, it is important to remember that even those who do
not develop clinical symptoms can contribute to spread of the disease as the
virus replicates in their cells. The most common clinical symptoms include
fever, rash, joint pain, and conjunctivitis. In most cases, the disease is mild
and resolves itself in a few days. The real danger that has been identified
with Zika virus is the risk that it poses to pregnant women. Zika has been
linked to microcephaly in the developing fetus, leading to birth defects and
lifelong challenges.
Now for my own opinions. Since the same mosquitoes can carry
the Zika virus as carry the Dengue and Chicunguña viruses, fighting all three
together through mosquito control is a logical step. In the United States, we are
fortunate to have the luxury of air conditioned buildings with firm walls and
screened windows, keeping us at a lower risk of exposure to mosquito bites.
This is not the case in many other countries. If we, in America, want to stop
the threat of Zika (and other mosquito-bourne pathogens), we should think about
focusing our efforts on expanding mosquito control methods in other countries. Of
course, it would be great to develop a vaccine for this disease; but vaccine
development takes many years, and that strategy would require a separate
vaccine for each of the mosquito-bourne diseases. Vaccination is a great
long-term goal, but to have the most impact in the short-term, vector control
is an essential component of the strategy.
The fight against infectious diseases is difficult and often disheartening. As soon as one outbreak is under control, another arises. As a global community, we just wrapped up the Ebola crisis, and now another potential crisis is emerging right in front of use. But it is important to remember our past successes as a global community that works together to save the lives of everyone at risk from these infections. As has been done with smallpox and almost done with polio, diseases can be controlled and even eradicated if we can just work together and find the right way to address them.
