Zika virus causes a deadly disease called Zika fever or Zika virus disease that spreads by the bite of the Aedes mosquito. The Zika virus is a member of the virus family FLAVIVIRIDAE and is closely related to the dengue, yellow fever, Japanese Encephalitis, and West Nile viruses. It was isolated in the Zika forest of Uganda in 1947 and is known to be prevalent in continents like Africa and Asia primarily, though it’s slowly making headway in the developed world and has spawned the deadly 2015-2016 Zika virus epidemic.
What are symptoms of Zika fever?
People with Zika virus disease can have symptoms which are similar to Dengue, like-
These symptoms usually last for 2-7 days.
Complications of Zika virus disease
According to WHO, Zika virus infection during pregnancy causes congenital brain abnormalities like microcephaly. And the infection can also trigger the Guillain-Barré syndrome. Microcephaly is a condition where a child is born with a small head or the head stops growing after birth and the Guillain-Barré syndrome is a rare condition in which a person’s immune system attacks the peripheral nerves which control muscle movement and sensation.
Even as we read this, intense efforts are being expended to investigate the link between Zika virus and a number of other neurological disorders.
How does Zika spread?
The causes of Zika are:
How can you prevent Zika infection?
Protection against mosquito bites is the most foolproof ways to prevent a Zika virus infection. Other ways to prevent Zika infection via mosquito bites are:
For stemming sexual transmission of Zika, the WHO recommends that sexually active men and women be counselled to practice safe sex using condoms. WHO also recommends that people who have come back after travelling from Zika virus zones should be extremely careful in practising safe sex or abstinence for the first 6 months at least, for preventing a pregnancy.
If affected, what is the treatment?
Zika virus disease is usually mild and requires no specific treatment as such.
Infected people are advised plenty of rest, asked to drink enough fluids, and treat pain and fever with common medicines like Ibuprofen. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a General Physician.
Zika virus causes a deadly disease called Zika fever or Zika virus disease that spreads by the bite of the Aedes mosquito. The Zika virus is a member of the virus family FLAVIVIRIDAE and is closely related to the dengue, yellow fever, Japanese Encephalitis, and West Nile viruses. It was isolated in the Zika forest of Uganda in 1947 and is known to be prevalent in continents like Africa and Asia primarily, though it’s slowly making headway in the developed world and has spawned the deadly 2015-2016 Zika virus epidemic.
What are symptoms of Zika fever?
People with Zika virus disease can have symptoms which are similar to Dengue, like-
These symptoms usually last for 2-7 days.
Complications of Zika virus disease
According to WHO, Zika virus infection during pregnancy causes congenital brain abnormalities like microcephaly. And the infection can also trigger the Guillain-Barré syndrome. Microcephaly is a condition where a child is born with a small head or the head stops growing after birth and the Guillain-Barré syndrome is a rare condition in which a person’s immune system attacks the peripheral nerves which control muscle movement and sensation.
Even as we read this, intense efforts are being expended to investigate the link between Zika virus and a number of other neurological disorders.
How does Zika spread?
The causes of Zika are:
How can you prevent Zika infection?
Protection against mosquito bites is the most foolproof ways to prevent a Zika virus infection. Other ways to prevent Zika infection via mosquito bites are:
For stemming sexual transmission of Zika, the WHO recommends that sexually active men and women be counselled to practice safe sex using condoms. WHO also recommends that people who have come back after travelling from Zika virus zones should be extremely careful in practising safe sex or abstinence for the first 6 months at least, for preventing a pregnancy.
If affected, what is the treatment?
Zika virus disease is usually mild and requires no specific treatment as such.
Infected people are advised plenty of rest, asked to drink enough fluids, and treat pain and fever with common medicines like Ibuprofen.
In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!
The Zika virus has been hogging the international limelight for some time. The virus and its effects on the human body are unique. It is known to cause microcephaly in infants born to infected mothers. Babies with microcephaly have small heads and abnormal eyes. This is the most highlighted features of Zika virus infection. However, it may also have a profound effect on the infected mother, though on rare occasions. It may precipitate Guillain-Barré syndrome. When people suffer from this syndrome, they may suffer from temporary muscle weakness, paralysis or other neurologic problems. The virus is spread by the Aedes mosquito that usually bites during the day. However, unlike many other mosquito-borne diseases it does not yet have a cure. This is why people living in or traveling to the Zika virus affected areas as well as those infected by the virus need to abide by some guidelines enunciated by the WHO.
An important consideration in Zika virus infection is the nutritional status of the patient. The effect of nutritional disorder on Zika infection adds another dimension to the treatment of Zika affected children and adults. It is argued that proper nutrition is an important part of other mosquito-borne diseases like dengue. In fact, studies have pointed out that vitamins D and Vitamin E supplementation have shown promising results in Dengue patients. Although similar studies on Zika patients have not been done, it is amply clear that breastfeeding for infants and lots of fluid for infected adults can bring down the severity of the disease appreciably.
Infants born to Zika infected mothers or mothers residing in or travelling to Zika infected areas should be given normal infant food. Breastfeeding is the obvious answer to infections and should start within an hour of birth. Such babies need to be exclusively breastfed for at least six months, followed by a gradual weaning of breast milk and a gradual introduction of safe, adequate and proper complementary food.
Breastfeeding is considered to be beneficial for both babies and their mothers in any country. Babies who breastfeed for longer periods face lower risk of infections. This is true for Zika infections as well. It is also beneficial for mothers since it can prevent breast cancer and improve contraception. It may also bring down the risk of ovarian cancer and diabetes in women. It is estimated that widespread breastfeeding can prevent the death of an estimated 823,000 children and that includes those affected by the Zika virus.
The safety potential of breastfeeding can be gauged from the fact that there are no reports of the Zika virus being transmitted through breast milk, although the presence of the virus has been confirmed in some lactating mothers. In fact, there are so many benefits of breastfeeding that they outweigh any potential risk of Zika virus infection and microcephaly through breast milk.
Tonsillitis is a disorder of the tonsils present on the back of your throat. The tonsils acts as a defensive mechanism in the body as they prevent the body from infections. This is a contagious condition and can occur at any age. It is widely prevalent among school going kids.
Tonsillitis may be classified into two types:
Causes: Tonsils prevent various virus and bacteria from entering the body through the mouth by producing antibodies. The tonsils, however, may become vulnerable to these infections. A virus that causes common cold or the bacteria that causes strep throat may result in tonsillitis. The most common cause of this disorder is the strep bacteria. School going children are especially vulnerable to this disorder because they are most prone to various infections.
The various viruses that may cause tonsillitis are:
Common symptoms:
The various symptoms of tonsillitis are
Treatment: The treatment for tonsillitis is usually antibiotics and in some cases, tonsillectomy. The antibiotics help in getting rid of the bacterial infection. Surgery is only done in cases where tonsillitis is chronic in nature. It is important that you drink fluids and restrict smoking to prevent tonsillitis.
In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!
Coronavirus: Brief Summary
Definition
Coronavirus disease COVID-19 as it is now known as by WHO (World Health Organization) has been defined as a potential severe acute respiratory infection caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2)
Clinical presentation is of respiratory infection with a symptom severity ranging from the mild common cold like illness to severe viral pneumonia leading to acute respiratory distress syndrome which is potentially fatal.
Nearly 80000 cases with 2800 death and mounting, have been reported in china (as of 1 March 2020). The outbreak has escalated rapidly across the globe with more and more number of a person becoming infected. Due to migration of population and overcrowded atmosphere, the spread has become easy and helped in the spread.
SARS-COV-2 belong to serbecovirus subgenus of the coronavirus family and its the seventh coronavirus known to infect humans.
A majority of patients in the initial stage of outbreak reported a link to the human south china seafood market, a live animal or wet market, suggesting the zoonotic origin of the virus, however, it's yet to be confirmed. Person to person spread has been confirmed in the community among close contact, in both family and hospital settings.
Transmission is through droplets produced when a person sneeze or cough. The contribution to transmission by the presence of the virus in other body fluids is unknown, but studies are going on to find out any relation. There is growing evidence that transmission from an infected but asymptotic person can occur in an endemic area. It's still unknown whether perinatal or through breastfeeding is possible.
As per current studies, incubation period is from 1-14 days. Median incubation period has been 5 days and transmission is possible during the incubation period. The high viral load has been detected in nasal and throat swab soon after the onset of symptoms. Even asymptotic patient has a similar viral load.
Primary Prevention
The only way to prevent infection is to avoid exposure to the virus and maintain a high level of personal hygiene.
WHO does not recommend that people to wear a medical mask in a community setting if they do not have any symptoms as there is no evidence available on its usefulness to protect people who are not ill. Instead, it creates more panic and confusion in an otherwise healthy person.
Screening and Quarantine
People travelling from high endemic or epidemic areas will be subjected to screening procedures. Upon receiving any positive information or symptoms by any such person will be quarantined to a period of 14 days,
Such cases to be reported to local health authorities. All new cases need to be isolated to prevent transmission and confirmed cases to be subjected to treatment guidelines as issued by who and local health authorities.
Infection prevention and control
Triage all patients on admission and isolate suspected cases from confirmed cases.
Following basic principles of infection prevention and control as per who guideline to be implemented:-
Clinical Presentation
Clinical presentation resembles viral pneumonia and severity of illness range from mild to severe. Approximately 80% are mild, 14% severe and 5% critical.
The most common symptoms are:- fever, cough, dyspnoea, myalgia, fatigue
Less common are:- anorexia, sore throats, headache, confusion, dizziness, rhinorrhoea, chest pain, haemoptysis, abdominal pain, nausea vomiting and diarrhoea.
Laboratory Findings
The most common laboratory abnormalities inpatient hospitalised with pneumonia include leukopenia, lymphopenia, leucocytosis, and elevated liver transaminases. Neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, anaemia decreased albumin and renal impairment.
Oxygen saturation of less than 90% will be shown by pulse oximetry.
Blood and Sputum Culture
Chest x-ray and CT. Unilateral lung infiltrates found in 75% cases and bilateral in 25% cases.
Multiple mottling and ground glass appearance found in 14% cases.
Risk factors
Strong: - residence in or travel to the affected area prior to the onset of symptoms. And the history of close contact with an infected person.
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