Zika virus

If you are living under a rock, you are probably not concerned with the Zika virus, and you probably don’t know what it is. For the rest, those that are traveling, working outdoors, and curious about the new virus on everyone’s mind, what is the Zika virus? What are the symptoms? What are the risks? And what else are we waiting to learn?

Last week, The Journal of Healthcare Contracting hosted keynote speaker Dr. Hudson Garrett to talk on major questions, concerns, and guidelines set by the CDC. Dr. Garrett began by explaining that the Zika virus is nothing new. It has been around but only recently have we seen numbers escalate like never before. The virus is mosquito born, and the type of mosquito that does the transmitting is found in the continental US. The virus, however, does not come from the mosquito itself, but from the bite of an infected mosquito, i.e the blood of an infected body. Other routes of transmission include the mother to the fetus, sexual intercourse, and blood transfusion.

How to detect the virus

Detecting the virus is a challenge. Four out of five patients who become infected show no signs of infection at all, while the patients who do experience symptoms are faced with those recognized in other conditions including fever, rash, joint pain, red eyes, muscle pain, and headache. While researchers are learning more about the virus, the incubation period remains uncertain with an estimated period of a few days to a few weeks. Because diagnosis is challenging, health care providers may misread symptoms as a number of other conditions including malaria, adenovirus, measles, rubella and more. When reading symptoms and trying to determine a diagnosis, it is important to obtain a patient’s travel history and lab results.

What are the risks?

The nationally notifiable condition has brought great concern and attention to pregnant women, as there is potential for infected children to develop microcephalus, a neurological condition in which the child’s head is smaller than average, and there is the potential for other birth and development defects to arise, including death. Thousands of cases have already been revealed in Brazil. However, new research questions whether birth defects in Brazil are in fact related to Zika at all. The evidence is not yet conclusive. Still, it is recommended for women who are pregnant or looking to become pregnant to check with their healthcare providers before traveling to locations with affected cases. Partners who have experienced travel are encouraged to use protection such as condoms in sexual intercourse, as researchers are still uncertain how long the virus is able to last within the body and its fluids.

The US has counted 35 travel related cases, indicating the patients who have gone out of the country and returned with a positive case of Zika virus. There have not been any locally acquired vector-borne cases.

How to protect against the virus

In terms of taking preventative measures, the CDC recommends wearing long-sleeved shirts and pants, staying indoors with air conditioning and closed windows, using EPA registered insect repellents with DEET, treating or buying clothing with previously treated permethrin, and consulting with your healthcare provider before and after traveling.

There is no FDA-approved test available on the market at the moment, but lab tests may be administered with the recommendation of a health care provider. There is also no vaccine currently available but there is one in development and it should be seen within two to three years. Dr. Hudson Garrett is pleased with the CDC’s precaution, in the interest of public health.

Stay tuned to learn more about products that may lead to answers regarding the Zika virus.