It started in Brazil. In 2015, thousands of newborns were born in Brazil with abnormally shaped and sized heads and potentially debilitating brain damage.
It was reported that nearly 3,000 cases had been reported with this incurable condition called Microcephaly. The amount of cases that were reported was about 20 times more than the prior years. A state of emergency had been declared in the nation’s northeast region – where most of the reports were flooding in.
International researchers and Brazilian authorities rushed in to try and pinpoint what could be the cause of the sudden burst of Microcephaly in their country.
The problem they were facing, however, was that they had no idea how to address the condition and much less what was causing it.
There were strong suspicions that it could have been the fault of a mosquito-borne virus called ‘Zika.’
Even that suspicion was not waterproof, as Zika had never been known to cause birth defects and had long been considered pretty harmless; those bitten by disease-carrying mosquitoes may experience a rash, headache, red eyes, pain in the bones and fever, but the symptoms went away within a week. It was found that one in five people wouldn’t even develop these symptoms.
In fact, until 2007, the cases of reported Zika were few and far between, with small outbreaks occurring in Africa and Southeast Asia since being discovered in 1947 in Uganda.
Zika had been found in brains of two babies that were born with Microcephaly and considering that it is possible for viruses to mutate and with nothing else to go on, the authorities decided to tackle Zika as the cause. As of yet, there isn’t a vaccine for Zika; due to the rarity and supposed mildness of the disease, it hadn’t been a priority.
Once restrained only to rare documented cases, the Zika virus seemed to have caught flame. It rapidly worked itself through Brazil and then spread like a hungry monster to other countries.
What had once been a lesser-known disease that was restrained to tropical climates was now striking much further and wider.
Questions begged to be asked, such as, how does a disease that causes aches and rash, somehow mutate to be the cause of a birth defect that was only known to be caused by a fetus coming in contact with toxic substances during pregnancy, genetic abnormalities or disease during pregnancy like rubella or herpes. There are unanswered questions even as reports are still flooding in.
In December, Scott Weaver, the director of the Institute for Human Infections and Immunity at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Tx. stated that the disease was traveling fast. “I think [the Zika virus] is going to be knocking on the doorsteps in places like Florida and Texas probably in the spring or summer,” said Weaver.
His estimate proved itself, as by Feb. 3, Gov. Rick Scott declared Zika to be the cause of health emergencies within seven counties – Miami-Dade (six reported cases), Lee (two reported cases), Hillsborough (three reported cases), Santa Rosa (one reported case), Broward (two reported cases), Osceola (one reported case) and St. Johns (one reported case).
The fire had caught and there was no putting it out, as in Texas, a report came in that the Zika virus was no longer restrained to just being carried by mosquitoes. U.S. health officials reported that a couple in Texas had shared the disease through sexual transmission and the report seemed grounded, as there is a prior recorded incident of a man giving Zika to his wife in 2008.
World Health Organization has now declared the outbreak to be a “public health emergency.”
With 16 confirmed cases of Zika in Florida and many more undoubtedly waiting to pop up, it can be easy to give into fear and paranoia while researchers and scientists are searching for an explanation and vaccine to combat the disease. The fact remains that, as of yet, no mosquitoes carrying Zika have been discovered in Florida. When announcing that there are now 16 confirmed Zika cases in Florida, Surgeon General Dr. John Armstrong assured that “all cases are travel related” and none involve pregnant women.
Health Department advisories are, nonetheless, urging residents and visitors in Florida to use the traditional tactics against defending themselves against mosquitoes such as draining water from garbage cans, house gutters, buckets, pool covers, coolers, toys, flower pots or any other containers where water can be collected. Discard old tires, bottles, broken appliances and other items that aren’t being used. Empty and clean birdbaths and pet bowls at least once or twice a week. Protect boats and vehicles from gathering water by using tarps that don’t sag in places where water can pool. Maintain swimming pools in good condition and keep them properly chlorinated; this includes emptying plastic swimming pools when they are not in use. If you are going to be outdoors and are at risk of being bitten, use insect repellent with DEET, Picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus and IR3535.
“It should not be something [to] panic about,” said Shelly Redovan, spokeswoman for the Lee County Mosquito Control District. “Just be aware and just be a little cautious.”
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has issued advisories for people planning to travel to countries where Zika transmissions are ongoing, including: Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Suriname, Venezuela and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Pregnant women are advised to postpone travel to these and any other affected countries.