Keeping Zika in perspective

“Since we last discussed the Zika virus we continue to be learning pretty much every day and most of what we are learning is not reassuring.”

What started out as a little known virus has become well known. However, with each passing minute we are learning how little we still know about it — and it is the unknown that is unnerving. We know Zika was discovered in a monkey in the Zika Forest of Uganda in 1947, but there was no human infection until 1952, and even then, the symptoms were low-grade fever and headaches. It wasn’t thought to be life threatening then or now. Zika spread throughout Africa and Asia and now to the Americas where it has exploded like wildfire.

According to the World Health Organization, 1.5 million people have been infected by Zika in Brazil. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control reported over 3,500 cases of microcephaly associated with Zika between October 2015 and January 2016. The 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio, which began Friday, also brought more attention to the Zika outbreak.

But what about us? First the bad news. While Zika was first thought to be a major danger to the fetus of pregnant women causing microcephaly and Guillain–Barre syndrome (weakness of the arms and legs and, in severe cases, affects muscles that control breathing), it appears that Zika can also cause eye problems and other issues. And it was discovered that Zika could also spread by sexual contact. It was originally thought a pregnant woman’s fetus was only in danger during the first trimester. However, it’s now believed the fetus can be harmed by Zika at any time during the pregnancy.

The mosquito carriers of Zika, Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus, which were thought to range in about 12 states is now known to be in 30. Both species can be found in every part of every southern state and the Aedes albopictus as far north as New Hampshire and both species as far west as Southern California.

Middle Georgia has had its first Zika victim and most likely there will be more. Georgia, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has had 42 Zika cases. Our neighbor to the south, Florida, has had 322 cases, Tennessee has had 22 and South Carolina has had 28.

There is also good news. The CDC and the National Institutes of Health have been conducting vaccine studies and one vaccine candidate might be ready by next month. There is also a screening program that is showing promise.

Try as we might, mosquitoes are difficult to control, but there are steps we can and should take. It is not enough to pass this task onto someone else. Much of the job we can do ourselves. We know where water tends to stand on our properties. If we have birdbaths or planters, anything that holds water, empty them at least once a week. That is particularly important with our pattern of afternoon thundershowers. Public Works departments can help by making sure areas where people dump old tires are cleaned up and the tires disposed of properly. Personally, we should make sure we use an EPA approved insect repellent and make our homes mosquito proof.

Lastly, we should live in a no-panic zone. Zika, while concerning, has been infecting humans since 1952 and the vast majority of those cases have resulted in only a low-grade fever and headache if noticed at all. For pregnant women and those who want to become pregnant, the stakes are much higher and we should take every precaution to prevent the spread of this virus.

The fear we are dealing with is of the unknown and that was still apparent in Dr. Schuchat’s remarks. “I don’t expect there to be large outbreaks,” she said, “but can’t assume we’re not going to have a big problem.”

This story was originally published August 6, 2016 at 9:00 PM with the headline "Keeping Zika in perspective."