Different Types Of Viruses And Zika Virus Essay

Different types of viruses are seen in the world but the biggest concern in medical science is zika virus. It belongs to the genus Flavivirus of family Flaviviridae. Though it was first identified in 1947 in rhesus monkey in the forest known as zika of Uganda and named accordingly, is a single stranded RNA arbovirus. Since then, it has become a major problem in the medical science and various cases are getting updated in the different parts of the world likely from Africa, parts of Asia and also to the America.( )

In the case study of Miami beach, the 2016 outbreak of florida confirms 256 cases of the virus of which the maximum count of the Miami with 241 infections. Different Types Of Viruses And Zika Virus Essay. As the spread of the virus is by the bite of the mosquito mainly by the Aedes aegypti as after the testing of 24351 mosquitoes which are collected from June to November 2016, 99.8% were found to positive for the zika virus. The spread is mainly in the three areas i.e. Wynwood , Miami beach and little river.

Symptoms for zika virus can be seen after 2 to 7 days of exposure which can be such as headache, fever, anthralgia, anorexia, edema, conjunctivitis and the appearance of rashes on the skin. These symptoms can lead to many of the diseases but the major ones are microcephaly and Guillian-Barre syndrome. The transmission of the virus is through vector or non-vector way such as by the bite of the female Aedes mosquito, sexually as the cases occurred in the Texas,USA and by blood transfusion which also showed up an outbreak in French Polynesia .The spread is also from mother to the baby as one Microcephaly is the disease occur to the new born children when the mothers are suffering with zika virus infection. The disease in which the baby was born with small head or there will be no more growth after birth and the patient also shows the convulsions. Different Types Of Viruses And Zika Virus Essay.

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The diseases are prevented by the common ways such as preventing oneself from the mosquitoes bite, wearing clothes as much as required to cover the body and also the use of the nets and window screen to avoid the mosquitoes and also by the use of the repellents such as DEET(diethyltoluamide). sexually active people should take all neccessary steps to have the safe sex as the virus is also transmitted from one person to the other. So, contraceptives should be used to have safe sex. The pregnant women should avoid visiting the place where there is spread of virus and also avoid the sex during the pregnancy period.

According to the different ethical theories, study according to UTILITARIANISM, aerial spraying of pesticide against the mosquitoes is ethical because it was for the benefit of the whole society rather than the perspective of the single individual. It also shows the results in the positive way as the numbers for the infected person decreased.

Study according to the KANTANISM, aerial pesticide spraying is unethical because the action of spraying is performed by the government by their own without the will of the people of the community as they have the right to take decisions about the need of spraying or not and the officials must have to support them.

Study according to the COMMUNITARIANISM, aerial spraying of pesticide is ethical because it was for the welfare of the community and doing the greatest benefit for the community by saving them from the threat of zika virus.

Based on the theories of the public health ethics I found it is ethical for officials in Miami-Dade county, florida to conduct aerial spraying with naled to protect against zika virus because the action taken by the officials is for the welfare of the community as the number of cases had been reduced after the implementation opf the action taken.

The 2015 Zika Virus outbreak in Brazil came as a surprise to many. The outbreak spread rapidly, and within a year at least 1.5 million were infected, but it is likely that there were more because four out of five cases are asymptomatic (World Health Organization 2016). Different Types Of Viruses And Zika Virus Essay. It also quickly spread to most of South and Central America and even into the southern United States.

This outbreak would cause many socio-economic impacts on the region. One main reason for this is that Brazil was set to host the 2016 Olympics, but questions began to surface as to whether or not the Olympics should be moved. They ultimately remained in Brazil, but regardless Brazil and surrounding countries still lost out on economic opportunities prior to this decision. When the Zika Virus outbreak began so did questions that accompany any unexplainable outbreak. These questions were what was it, where did it come from, how does it spread, and how do we treat it.

When the infection first broke out, no one knew what it was. An unexplainable rash began to spread in Northeast Brazil with no signs of slowing down, leaving medical professionals stunned (Bushak 2016). No matter what they tested those infected for, the tests came back negative. Some scientists then decided to test and see if the Zika Virus could have possibly continued to spread out of its normal area, after making its way to the French Polynesia just three years earlier (Bushak 2016). When these tests came back positive, it came as a surprise, but brought some relief since medical professionals now knew what they were up against. As the medical professionals continued to work on to fight the Zika Virus outbreak, they began to notice that a large number of pregnant women who became infected were giving birth to babies with microcephaly, which is a condition that causes infants to be born with abnormally small heads due to a lack of brain development (BBC 2016). This was very surprising because up to this point the Zika Virus was believed to be a benign disease, with only twenty percent of cases showing mild clinical signs including fever, headache, joint pain, and occasionally a rash (Barcellos et al. 2018). After the discovery was made, the World Health Organization declared the Zika Virus a public health emergency that could have national and international consequences (Barcellos et al. 2018).

The transmission of the Zika Virus can be broken down into two main ways: vector-based transmission and non-vector-based transmission. Different Types Of Viruses And Zika Virus Essay. The vector-based transmission is carried out by either the Aedes aegypti or Aedes albopictus mosquitoes (BBC 2016). These two species of mosquitoes are very similar. Both live in tropical, subtropical, and temperate environments, however, they will not live above 6500 feet (CDC 2017). Despite being so similar, Aedes aegypti is the primary vector of the Zika Virus because it lives closer to civilizations and makes people its preferred food choice (CDC 2017). The non-vector-based transmission can occur in a number of ways. One of these ways is perinatal transmission (CDC 2017). Perinatal transmission is when the infant becomes infected by the mother during pregnancy. This is done through amniotic fluid or placental fluid (CDC 2017). Another way that the Zika Virus is spread is through sexual transmission. The infection can be passed through sexual intercourse, even if signs of infection are not present (CDC 2017). It is currently unknown how long the disease is infective in genital fluids, but it is believed to be much longer than in other bodily fluids (Barcellos et al. 2018). Unlike other bodily fluids, such as breast milk, direct transmission has only been proven possible through genital fluid transmission (Barcellos et al. 2018).

When it came to battling the Zika Virus outbreak, there were few treatments available. The main forms of treatment were to rest, drink plenty of fluids, and treat the symptoms. This included taking acetaminophen for fever and pain, but not aspirin or anti-inflammatories due to risk of internal bleeding (World Health Organization 2016). The most productive form of controlling Zika Virus is through prevention. There are two main ways of prevention. The primary way is to prevent the spread via Aedes mosquitoes. This can be done through simply preventing mosquito bites by covering yourself with clothes, staying indoors, or applying insect repellent (CDC 2017). Another way to control the spread of Zika Virus is to try and control the Aedes mosquito population. One way this can be done is by removing any sitting water so that they can not lay any eggs, ultimately stopping their life cycle. Another thing communities can do is to spray insecticides throughout the city to try and kill off mosquitos. This can be done in three different ways. One way is through the use of backpack sprayers, which can be used to spray specific areas and for limited application in public areas (CDC 2017).Different Types Of Viruses And Zika Virus Essay.  Another way is through truck-mounting sprayers that are used to “mist” the city with small amounts of insecticides, killing some of the mosquito population (CDC 2017). The final but most accepted form of spraying is aerial spraying because it covers such a large area, but is used in such small amounts that it is not dangerous to humans or pets (CDC 2017). The last thing is to prevent sexual intercourse from spreading the Zika Virus. To totally eliminate the chance of spread by sexual intercourse, one can simply avoid having sexual intercourse while in threat of infection. If sexual intercourse is performed, a condom can be used to reduce chance of infection (CDC 2017).

The Zika Virus Outbreak in 2015 came as a surprise to many. It rapidly spread through much of North and South America, baffling medical professionals as to what it could be. After close examination, they finally pieced together that the Zika Virus had invaded the continents and began to put proper treatment and prevention measures into effect.

Work Cited

1. Barcellos, Christovam, et al. “The Zika Virus Epidemic in Brazil: From Discovery to Future Implications” US National Library of Medicine, 9 Jan. 2018, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5800195/.
2. Bushak, Lecia. “A Brief History Of Zika Virus, From Its Discovery In The Zika Forest To The Global Outbreak Today.” Medical Daily, 8 Apr. 2016, www.medicaldaily.com/zika-virus-outbreak-history-381132.
3. “Key Messages-Zika Virus Disease.” CDC, 17 May 2017, stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/45743/cdc_45743_DS1.pdf.
4. “Zika Outbreak: What You Need to Know.” BBC News, BBC, 31 Aug. 2016, www.bbc.com/news/health-35370848.
5. “Zika Situation Report.” ZIKA AND POTENTIAL COMPLICATIONS, World Health Organization, 12 Feb. 2016, www.who.int/emergencies/zika-virus/situation-repo rt/who-zika-situation-report-12-02-2016.pdf.

In 1947 the Zika virus was first identified in the monkeys of Uganda. Five years later the virus was found again, this time in humans. From then on countries reported small instances of illnesses including rashes, which turn out to be the Zika infection, up until 2007 when the virus had its first major outbreak on an island called Yep. Different Types Of Viruses And Zika Virus Essay.

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The virus can cause major neurological problems, and after a 2015 outbreak in Brazil the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the virus to be a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern.” As of now a total of 86 countries have reported signs of the Zika infection.

According to specialists the Zika virus was first transmitted to humans from a mosquito genus called Aedes. These are the same kind of mosquitoes that carrying dengue and chikungunya and are known to feed in the daytime or early evening. After the original infection the virus can be transmitted in number of ways. Pregnant women can spread it the their fetus, and in some cases this causes congenital birth defects. The virus can also be spread through sexual contact and there is reason to believe the Zika virus can be spread through contact with blood or blood transfusion though there are no instances documented in the United States, however, there is evidence of the spread through platelet transfusion in Brazil. With this knowledge it is also reasonable to assume that it may be transmitted through organ donation but again there is insufficient evidence to back this claim.

This infection is hard to recognize as the Zika virus because the symptoms are either mild or non-existent in most of those infected. If symptoms are present they include fever, rash, conjunctivitis (eye inflammation), muscle/joint pain, fatigue and/or headache. This illness has a latency period of 3 to 14 days and symptoms can last up to a week. The symptoms are so similar to a common fever, as well as dengue and chikungunya that is hard to discern what the patient might be suffering from. The only way to confirm the Zika infection is to have laboratory test done. In order to verify the illness doctors must run blood test or test other bodily fluids such as urine or semen.

To prevent contraction of this disease there are few precautions to be taken, however, there is no way to inoculate or vaccinate in order to stop the virus. Those who live in countries that are known to have mosquitos that carry the virus are told to take several different precautions — wearing light colored clothes to cover as much skin as possible, keeping windows covered and doors closed, as well as using insect repellent. Different Types Of Viruses And Zika Virus Essay. Pregnant women and children are also told to sleep under insect nets if they are going to sleep during the day. Aedes mosquitos are known to breed in small collections of standing water, therefore people are told to cover their water storage containers and remove water from any place it could collect, such as flower pots. To prevent sexual transmission those in danger are told to practice correct and regularly safe sex or to abstain all together, and women who fear for the dangers of becoming ill while pregnant are advised to use some form of contraception.

As of now there are no known treatments to completely eradicate the virus. Those patients that do show symptoms are told to treat themselves as if they had the flu; rest, drinking lots of fluids to keep hydrated, take acetaminophen to reduce fever but to not take common NSAIDs (asprin, other blood thinners). Pregnant women are urged to seek professional medical attention to monitor their pregnancy and judge the health of the baby, unfortunately there is no way to know for sure if or how the virus will affect the fetus and no way to prevent complications.

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The main concern when the virus is contracted is for pregnant women and their babies. Infection during pregnancy can effect the fetus and cause the baby to be born with any number of neurological congenital defects. Most commonly the newborn is afflicted with microcephaly but the virus cause other problems which is known as Congenital Zika Infection. With this defect comes limb contracture, high muscle tone, eye abnormalities or hearing loss. It is unknown how many pregnancies are actually affected by the virus but it is estimated at 5-15% of those where the mother has been infected. Along with the dangers to pregnancies, it is also possible the virus can trigger a number of neurological problems in adults and children, some of these being Guillain-Barre, neuropathy, or myelitis.

Because the knowledge of the Zika virus is so limited and some of the long term effects still undetermined people were very fearful when the outbreak in Brazil occurred. Different Types Of Viruses And Zika Virus Essay. It just so happened that the 2016 Olympic Games were scheduled to occur in Brazil around that time and it almost caused major panic among the athletes, with many of them refusing to participate or countries providing expensive safety-wear as best they could. In response to the potential hazards caused by so many people traveling internationally for the Olympics the WHO advanced their research in prevention and control of the virus as well as surveillance. They also strengthened laboratories and support in global efforts to control Aedes mosquito populations. At this point in time there is no cure, no vaccine, and no known prevention of the virus but the World Health Organization has, and continues to, put extensive time and effort into finding answers.

References
Zika Virus. (2017, August 28). Retrieved January 13, 2019, from https://www.cdc.gov/zika/about/overview.html
Zika virus. (2018, July 20). Retrieved January 13, 2019, from https://www.who.int/en/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/zika-virus
Lewnard, J. A., Gonsalves, G., & Ko, A. I. (2016, August 16). Low Risk of International Zika Virus Spread due to the 2016 Olympics in Brazil. Retrieved January 13, 2019, from http://annals.org/aim/fullarticle/2538663/low-risk-international-zika-virus-spread-due-2016-olympics-brazil. Different Types Of Viruses And Zika Virus Essay.