Peru declares Zika emergency across half the country

• Peru has declared a Zika health emergency across the northern half of their country after confirming that 102 people have been infected with the virus.
• The 90-day emergency was announced by saying that the health ministry and local authorities were working to prevent the spread of the disease, which is principally transmitted by mosquitos.
• The cases detected so far include 34 pregnant women. Zika is seen as a cause of microcephaly – abnormally small heads and brains – in babies.
• A major Zika outbreak in neighbouring Brazil, where nearly 1,600 babies have been born with the birth defect, has prompted concerns for athletes and visitors ahead of the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro next month.

About ZIKA virus

• Zika virus is a member of the virus family Flaviviridae and the genus Flavivirus.
• It is spread by daytime-active Aedes mosquitoes, such as A. aegypti and A. albopictus.
• Zika virus is transmitted by the same type of mosquito that carries dengue fever, yellow fever, and chikungunya virus.
• Zika is related to the dengue, yellow fever,J apanese encephalitis, and West Nile viruses. Like other flaviviruses, Zika virus is enveloped and icosahedral and has a nonsegmented, single-stranded,positive-sense RNA genome.
• A mosquito bites an infected person and then passes those viruses to other people it bites.

Treatment

• While there is no specific treatment, paracetamol (acetaminophen) and rest may help with the

Symptoms.

• The infection, known as Zika fever or Zika virus disease, often causes no or only mild symptoms, similar to a very mild form of dengue fever.
• In rare cases, Zika has been associated with Guillain-Barre syndrome, a disorder that can cause partial or complete paralysis, usually starting in the legs, most often temporary.
• As of 2016, the illness cannot be prevented by medications or vaccines.

By: Vishal