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As the Zika virus spreads, so too does the concern among public health officials. This may the greatest threat in a generation for some regions, and they are urgently seeking ways to stop it. One can hardly see the news without a report of cases of the virus being detected in some new location or country, and the devastating effects it has on the unborn.
The virus is spread by the one creature on the planet responsible for more death and human suffering than any other. That creature is the tiny mosquito: it’s estimated that 2-3 million deaths are caused by them each year around the world.
Although Zika was first discovered in Uganda in 1947, periodic outbreaks of the virus have mostly occurred in areas of Southeast Asia, the Pacific Islands, and tropical Africa. Due to the recent rapid spread of the disease in over 30 countries, it is now considered a pandemic.
The symptoms of the Zika virus itself are mostly mild, and last anywhere from a few days to a week. Many who contract the virus, in fact, never even realize they have Zika, mistaking their symptoms for a cold, the flu, or something else. The main concern with Zika is not the mild, short-term effects of the virus itself.
Rather, it is the potentially deadly effects the virus has on developing fetuses when an infected mother passes the virus to her unborn child. In many cases the virus kills the developing child, resulting in miscarriage.
Those babies who survive Zika exposure in the womb, however, are being born with a disfiguring illness known as microcephaly. In addition to causing a smaller-than-normal brain and head, the neurodevelopmental disorder also causes severely impaired intellectual development, seizures, and a shortened lifespan.
Although no vaccine currently exists for the virus, that doesn’t mean steps aren’t being taken to address the issue. The following are measures that countries are currently taking to either slow or prevent the spread of the deadly disease:
On Saturday, February 13, 2016, Brazil launched an all-out assault on the mosquitoes that carry the deadly Zika virus. The assault didn’t involve the direct killing of the insects, although that was the ultimate goal. No direct military firepower was used, although the military was involved. It was an unconventional assault that was mostly about getting the word out.
Using thousands of soldiers, Brazil’s military went door-to-door throughout the country handing out informational leaflets and insecticide. The leaflets encouraged residents to do everything they possibly could to eliminate the tiny insect. Recommended measures included spraying the insecticide around their homes, using mosquito netting while sleeping, wearing long pants and long-sleeved shirts, and other measures. Most importantly, Brazil got the word out that mosquitoes were transmitting Zika and that everyone had a role to play in stopping the spread of the deadly virus.
Most would never guess the humble automobile tire would play a role in the spread of the Zika virus, but it certainly does. Old tires that are left lying around outside are notorious for collecting small pools of water. And mosquitoes find these tiny bodies of standing water irresistible places to lay their eggs.
Puerto Rico, which recently declared Zika a public health emergency, is waging war on the mosquitoes that carry the disease by draining the small bodies of water where the insects breed. One of the chief culprits is old tires, which are found lying all around the island. They are found outside people’s homes, in dumps, and elsewhere. To combat the U.S. territory’s tire problem, emergency legislation was recently passed to collect and dispose of the tires. Crews are also working tirelessly to drain other small standing bodies of water, wherever they are found.
In the United States measures are being taken to keep Zika out of the blood supply. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is recommending U.S. citizens who have traveled to areas where the Zika virus is present to wait at least four weeks before do