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 In most adults, Zika produces no symptoms or only mild symptoms like
fever and rash. But children of women infected in pregnancy may be
born with microcephaly, or abnormally small heads, which can be
linked to seizures, intellectual disability, hearing loss or vision
problems, and has no cure.
Zika virus, dengue fever and chikungunya virus are increasingly
common in the Caribbean Basin and Latin America, Dr. Edward T. Ryan
of the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston and coauthor Dr.
Regina LaRocque write in Annals of Internal Medicine.
All three are transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes, which are common
across much of the U.S.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that
people limit travel to areas with active transmission of these
viruses, and that pregnant women not travel to these areas at all.
(CDC posts Zika travel notices at http://bit.ly/1Qq5Iow.)
Infection risk goes down with mosquito bite prevention and mosquito
control, with measures like wearing long-sleeved shirts and long
pants, using window screens, air conditioning, insect repellent, and
covering or discarding standing water in homes and outdoors, Ryan
and LaRocque say.
Parents should cover cribs, strollers, and baby carriages with
mosquito netting. They should not apply insect repellent onto
children's hands, eyes, mouth, or open or irritated skin or at all
on babies younger than 2 months, nor should they use products
containing oil of lemon eucalyptus or para-menthane-3,8-diol on
children younger than age 3, according to the article.
“Used as directed, Environmental Protection Agency– registered
insect repellents are safe and effective, including in breastfeeding
and pregnant women,” the authors write.
“If used,” they add, “sunscreen should be applied before insect
repellent.”
People who may have acquired one of these infections should continue
to minimize bite risk, as mosquitoes that bite them can transmit the
virus to others. Returning travelers, even if they don't feel sick,
should take steps to prevent mosquito bites for three weeks.
Zika’s potential for sexual transmission makes it unique, experts
say.
“Men who are infected are infectious for at least three months,”
said Scott C. Weaver, scientific director of the Galveston National
Laboratory at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston.
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“Sexual partners of pregnant women may get infected and may not even
realize it,” Weaver told Reuters Health by phone. “Zika is very mild
compared to severe dengue or any case of chikungunya.”
The CDC advises that anyone potentially exposed to Zika should limit
the risk of sexual transmission through abstinence or correct use of
condoms.
Much has been written on the risks of attending the Rio 2016
Olympics in Brazil, but the risk in Brazil is lower than in areas
like Latin America, particularly in August, which is winter in
Brazil, Weaver said.
“There’s a lot of fear about Zika right now in the general
population, which is appropriate because there’s a lot we don’t
know,” said Dr. Kathryn B. Anderson of the University of Minnesota
in Minneapolis.
A small number of Zika infections may trigger Guillain-Barré
Syndrome, a serious immune condition affecting the nervous system
which can resolve but is sometimes fatal.
“There are major gaps in our understanding of Zika so I can
understand the concern young athletes have,” Anderson told Reuters
Health by phone. “But for most athletes who aren’t pregnant or
trying to get anyone pregnant, Zika really shouldn’t be something
that needs to change their travel that much.”
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/29BVWSz Annals of Internal Medicine, online
July 11, 2016.
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