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Essay / A History of the Zika Virus
For its frightening spread and devastating consequences, Zika virus disease has recently made international news. Decades ago, the virus emerged in the Zika Forest in central Uganda, but the virus's modern resurgence far exceeds the 1947 outbreak that led to its discovery. The Zika virus is infamous for its unavoidable modes of infection, incurability, and catastrophic, irreversible effects. Spread by the simple bite of an infected Aedes mosquito, the Zika virus causes malformations in newborns. Infants infected with the Zika virus often develop what is called microcephaly, or small head. Another factor that makes the Zika virus so alarming is the vast distance it has traveled. Over the past seventy years, it has spread from the African continent to Asia, South America, parts of Europe, and North America. This makes the Zika virus a pandemic or a global phenomenon. With more widespread cases over the past three years, it's important to know exactly why this virus is concerning, how it affects different patients, and how it can be avoided in the future. Say no to plagiarism. Get a Custom Essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayA recent outbreak of the Zika virus began in 2015. Since 2015, there have been 5,658 cases of Zika in the United States alone. United States of America. Globally, the number of people affected is far too high to track. The high morbidity rate is most likely because Zika is effortlessly transmissible. Whether contracted through the virtually imperceptible bite of a mosquito, through sexual contact with a bitten person, or from an infected mother to her offspring, it is difficult to prevent the Zika virus from contracting, allowing it to spread. easily affect thousands of people. . Its high contagion rate makes it a source of concern for the entire human race living in all parts of the world. Everyone is at risk of being infected. The lack of a cure is also worrying. Not only is the Zika virus difficult to prevent, easy to contract, and causes devastating microcephaly, it is also incurable. Only treatments are available for its minor symptoms, such as fever, fatigue, rash, and joint and muscle pain. However, the Zika virus does not have the same effects on everyone infected. Therefore, not all Zika virus patients should be treated the same. Four out of five people infected with the Zika virus have no symptoms; thus, these people often never know that they have been infected with the virus. Zika virus symptoms usually appear between two and seven days after victims are bitten by an infected mosquito. Those who develop symptoms are often mild and do not need to be hospitalized. As long as infected people get plenty of rest and fluids in their bodies, the illness will not get worse and they will be cured of their symptoms within a week. If necessary, they can take medications like ibuprofen or acetaminophen to relieve pain. The Zika virus is generally not of much concern, as it is quite rare for people with Zika to need to go to the hospital and it is rare for people to die from the Zika virus. Those who end up being patients in the hospital deserve some concern. Physically, they are no longer able to cope with the virus on their own and must rely on trained professionals to ensure their symptoms do not worsen. Those who..