BAJA.DESERT.RAT
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ZIKA VIRUS HEADS UP
Authorities say 18 Zika cases identified
Emergency declaration issued to enable prevention programs
17 0
Mexico News Daily | Friday, January 22, 2016
The Health Secretariat has issued an emergency declaration after confirming 18 cases of people infected with Zika fever, although it clarified that
the situation does not warrant an epidemiological alert.
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Health officials said 15 of the cases are among the indigenous population; 10 are in Chiapas, four in Nuevo León and one in Jalisco. The other three
were imported.
The declaration allows the strengthening of prevention and health promotion programs, such as epidemiological surveillance. One prevention strategy,
that will focus primarily on pregnant women, was announced after the Carlos Chagas Institute in Brazil published that Zika fever is likely linked to
cases of microcephaly — a smaller than normal head size among infants — in the newborns of infected mothers.
In humans, the Zika virus causes a mild illness known as Zika fever, Zika or Zika disease, originally known to occur within a narrow equatorial belt
from Africa to Asia. In 2014, the virus spread eastward across the Pacific Ocean to French Polynesia, then to Easter Island and in 2015 to South
America, Central America and the Caribbean and is now considered pandemic.
The illness is like a mild form of dengue fever, is treated by rest, and cannot be prevented by drugs or vaccines.
The mosquito that transmits the virus is present throughout Mexico, said Health Undersecretary Pablo Kuri, who forecast more cases of Zika as a
result. The same mosquito transmits dengue and chikungunya.
The link between microcephaly and Zika fever isn’t clear yet, said Kuri, who noted that Colombia, a country with a high number of Zika fever cases,
has yet to report a case of microcephaly.
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The Health Secretariat will also monitor other symptoms associated with the Zika virus, such as Guillain-Barré Syndrome, a rare disorder in which a
patient’s immune system attacks its own neurons, provoking muscular fatigue and sometimes paralysis. According to the Pan-American Health
Organization, there are 70 likely recorded cases in El Salvador.
The emergency declaration comes after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a travel advisory suggesting pregnant women
avoid traveling to 14 countries, Mexico included.
“The CDC is within its right to alert [travelers],” said Kuri, but he added that the probability of getting infected in Mexico was very low. “We’ve
spoken to them and apparently they will refine their next advisory.”
“Zika is here to stay, there’s no doubt, but we’re prepared to face this new public health challenge. It will probably spread northwards, but we won’t
be waiting for the issue to become serious. What we do know is that if there are no mosquitoes, there is no virus.”
The confirmed cases in Mexico have affected people between five and 75 years old. All have suffered fever, and most have had conjunctivitis and skin
rashes. Sixty per cent of those infected have been women.
- See more at: http://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/authorities-say-18-zika-case...
SCARY, WORRISOME STUFF
BIEN SALUD, DA RAT
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BigBearRider
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I read about the Zika cases in Brazil a couple of weeks ago. Scary stuff.
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4x4abc
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several cases already in the US
Harald Pietschmann
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Hook
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I hear Everclear renders you immune. I read it on Nomads.
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BajaNomad
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Thread Moved
1-23-2016 at 06:55 PM |
BAJA.DESERT.RAT
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I believe that is after you are pickled !
BIEN SALUD, DAAT
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Bajahowodd
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Quite insidious considering its mild symptoms.
From what I have read, the micoencephaly issues are relatively new. The biggest problem facing researchers is that the symptoms are so mild that most
people probably never realized they had it. So, avoiding pregnancy is not an option if you never knew you had the virus in the first place.
It will be interesting to learn what this virus that came from Africa actually poses as a health threat.
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