Zika Virus: Symptoms, Prevention & Emergence Of Disease | All You Need To Know

At least 13 people who have tested positive for the Zika virus are from Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram district

Zika virus | Representative Image

Chennai: Amid the second wave of coronavirus in Kerala, the government has come across the emergence of Zika virus cases. At least 13 people have tested positive for the Zika virus from Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram district alone. All the samples were sent to NIV Pune for confirmation.

A person can test positive for the Zika virus when the Aedes species of mosquitoes take a bite. These mosquitoes only happen to stay indoors and are active during the daytime. The same species of mosquitoes transmit diseases like Chikungunya, Dengue and Yellow fever.

Symptoms

The symptoms of the Zika virus can vary and include headache, rashes on the skin, conjunctivitis, joint and muscle pains. The symptoms in a person last for seven days and the incubation period is said to be 3-15 days. But, on a generic scale, people infected with the Zika virus are asymptomatic according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Prevention

No vaccine has been rolled yet for the Zika virus, as the research study on it is still underway despite Zika Virus being discovered in East Africa in 1947. According to WHO, the Zika virus can only be prevented by not getting bit by mosquitos. Young children and pregnant women are prone to have a severe impact if they test positive for this virus. However, people who have tested positive should remain hydrated and take rest. Basic medicines can be used to treat fever and pain.

Birth of Zika

The Zika virus was discovered in East Africa in 1947 but was announced an epidemic in the year 2007 after it was found that the disease spread across Africa and Asia continent.

The first known Zika virus epidemic occurred in the isolated islands of Yap when dengue-like symptoms were detected in April-May 2007. Samples from the region were sent to CDC and they tested positive but the outbreak was relatively small as 5,000 people tested positive for the Zika virus and the reports showed that the illness was mild and not fatal.