Zika causes mild symptoms similar to the flu, but can lead to serious neurological disorders in unborn babies. Pregnant women in Indonesia should take precautions.
Earlier this month, Indonesia said it would ramp up prevention measures against Zika virus after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global emergency over the spread of the disease. Ministry of Health of the Nation has also issued a warning to travel eight countries affected by Zika, and more than 20 others in which the virus was active in show. Thailand is one of them. President Jokowi said Indonesia needs to increase vigilance at the border if the government hopes to keep Zika out of the archipelago.
Zika virus grabbed headlines around the world in recent weeks. On February 1st, WHO announced that a recent cluster of neurological disorders and birth defects in the Americas is probably related to the presence of Zika in certain contexts. Microcephaly, abnormal smallness of the head, which is a congenital condition associated with incomplete development of the brain, was the key referenced disorder. Following the WHO announcement, scientists and the media went about mounting evidence suggesting other Zika is indeed the underlying factor that causes several other brain abnormalities in infants.
In Indonesia, there has been one reported case of Zika far. The virus was found in a man living in Sumatra, who went to the hospital after complaining of a number of symptoms, including high fever, sudden headache.
"People normally have a mild fever, headache, joint pain, and rash. Three of the four people infected with Zika not even show symptoms," says spokesman WHO Christian Lindmeier Indonesia Expat Geneva. "Zika virus itself is actually sweet, but it becomes a problem when a pregnant woman is infected, and the evidence strongly suggests that it causes child development problems. "
Lindmeier said Zika is transmitted by the same mosquito species that often carries yellow fever (which attacks the liver and kidneys, and can be fatal), chikungunya ( which causes fever and severe joint pain and is rarely fatal), and more frequent in Indonesia, dengue fever (which causes sudden fever, severe pain common, and is sometimes fatal).
the n 'there is no evidence to suggest that Zika leads to dengue, but experts say it has the potential of being misdiagnosed as dengue, the two viruses are related effect, transmitted by the same mosquito of the genus Aedes, and induce similar symptoms.
For this reason, pregnant women in Indonesia who believe they have contracted dengue fever during or around the time of pregnancy should also get themselves tested for Zika. This also means the number of cases in Indonesia Zika is probably higher than just one incident now known.
WHO announced that a recent cluster of neurological disorders and birth defects in the Americas is probably related to the presence of Zika | Courtesy of Wikimedia
In 2015, nearly 72,000 cases of dengue were reported in Indonesia, of which there were 641 deaths, according to Ministry of Health. WHO says dengue incidents have increased dramatically worldwide in recent decades. The actual number of dengue cases is underestimated and many are misclassified. There are no readily available on the number of data microcephaly cases were reported in Indonesia. However, health authorities in Brazil say that there were more than 3,500 cases reported in the country last year, a staggering increase of 147 cases the previous year. Indonesia has the second highest number in the world in annual dengue cases after Brazil.
The scientists and interest groups are experimenting and testing projects to mitigate the potential threat of Zika and dengue in the archipelago. In Yogyakarta, the program Eliminate Dengue (EDP) is experimenting with a bacterium called Wolbachia. Director Scott O'Neill said Reuters Wolbachia that hinders the growth of dengue mosquitoes, and the testimony of EDP shows it also hinders the growth of Zika.
The program is now introduced Wolbachia in captive populations of mosquitoes with the hope of introducing Zika-immune in nature insects to breed with other mosquitoes. The idea is that future generations of mosquitoes in Indonesia may be unable to transmit dengue fever and Zika humans. But the process would naturally take a long time. Funded in part by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, EDP also operates in Vietnam. Lindmeier said that other groups are experiences that involve certain types of fish that eat the larvae of Aedes running.
There are four distinct types, but closely related, the virus that causes dengue. Recovery from infection by one provides lifelong immunity against that particular strain. However, cross-immunity to other types after recovery is only partial and temporary.
Lindmeier said there is no clear solution to eradicate dengue Zika in the immediate future. "Avoid being bitten by mosquitoes and practice safe sex if you think you have or can contract the virus Zika," he said. "Use fumigation to get rid of breeding places [of mosquitoes] and get rid of standing water sources."
Pregnant women who were exposed to Zika should be counseled and observed for birth outcomes. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention United States says pregnant women in any trimester should consider delaying travel in areas where Zika passes.
The Indonesian government advises people to avoid going to Brazil, Cape Verde, Colombia, El Salvador, Honduras, Martinique, Panama and Suriname. "Pregnant women are primarily advised not to travel to these countries. If travel can not be avoided, they should take strict preventive measures against mosquito bites, "said the Health Minister Nila Moeloek in a statement earlier this month.
"There is evidence that more and more pregnant women in affected areas may be at increased risk of giving birth to babies microcephaly," Lindmeier said clearly. "We always see travelers bring diseases transmitted by mosquitoes in their home country. It is not unusual for travelers to bring them back, but then receive treatment. We should expect Zika to spread, and we should not be too surprised when it comes. "
He added that the research and development of medicine and a vaccine is on the way, but people in Indonesia should not bank on it as a quick win. "It could be months. It is not a solution for tomorrow," said Lindmeier.
However, it adds that it is possible that some people in Asia may already be immune to Zika. The New York Times reports that, after the first case Zika was held in Uganda in 1947, blood tests have found Zika antibodies in people in India, Pakistan, Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia - proof that they had been exposed to the virus. Lindmeier said: "We hope a good population in Asia have already Zika immunity without knowing"