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What is the Zika virus and how is it transmitted? essay
What is the Zika virus and how is it transmitted? essay
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The Zika virus outbreak took the world by storm and worried mothers all over the world in 2015. The Zika virus is notable for being the cause of a multitude of birth affects, most notoriously, microcephaly (Underdeveloped heads and brain damage). However, it turns out that the Zika virus is not alone. Two of which are the West Nile virus and Powassan virus. They are both neurotropic viruses, which means they both target nerve cells. They both also cause inflammation of the brain and/or inflammation of the membranes surrounding the brain. Although, they do differ in the sense that they are both transmitted differently to humans. The West Nile virus is transmitted from mosquitoes that have bitten infected birds. Where as the Powassan virus is
Chester M. Southam, MD, was an American virologist who worked on curing cancer. “Studies had shown that a pathogen called the Russian spring-summer encephalitis virus could eradicate tumors in mice. Because that virus was considered too dangerous for people, Southam searched for something milder, settling on the newly discovered West Nile virus.” He had already spent some time in Africa injecting an assortment of viruses including mumps, dengue, West Nile, and Semliki Forest virus in severely ill cancer patients. The West Nile Virus usually
In the New York Times interview of Richard Preston, the well renowned author of The Hot Zone, is conducted in order to shed some light on the recent Ebola outbreak and the peaked re-interest in his novel. The Hot Zone is articulated as “thriller like” and “horrifying.” Preston uses similar diction and style choices corresponding with his novel. By choosing to use these specific methods he is advertising and promoting The Hot Zone to the audience members that are interested in reading, and reaching out to those who read and enjoyed his novel. He continuously grabs and keeps the reader’s attention by characterizing and personifying Ebola as the “enemy [and] the invisible monster without a face” in order to give the spectators something to grasp and understand the Ebola virus. Along with characterization, Preston uses descriptions with laminate
An animal infected with CWD will have neural loss, astrogliosis, which is an abnormal increase in the number of astrocytes in the brain, and spongiform lesions (Abrams et al., 2011). The infected particles are spread all throughout the body including the brain, spinal cord, eyes, peripheral nerves, and lymphoreticular tissues (Belay et al., 2004). Most of the infection, however, is located in the Central Nervous System.
West Nile virus (WNV) is a single-stranded flavivirus mostly present in the eastern hemisphere that can affect humans, birds, horses, mosquitoes, and other domestic and wild animals. It has plagued the world since it was first identified in West Nile province of Uganda in 1937 (Sally Murray). Since this time, according to the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC), the disease has been spotted in “Africa … Europe, the Middle East, West and Central Asia … the United States … Canada,” and now Central America. Despite its discovery in the 1930’s, the western hemisphere went without the disease until 1999; the first documented case of WNV in the United States was in New York (Watson). West Nile Virus presents a near never-ending problem for the United States because of its similarities to other arboviral disease and its ability to transmit quickly.
West Nile Virus has emerged in recent years throughout the temporate zones of Europe and North America. Causing a variety of conditions in its hosts, the most serious manifestation of WN virus infection is fatal encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) in humans and horses, and many birds.
Mosquitoes, fever and even death may be some of the things that come to mind when we're asked to think about West Nile Virus. Many of us would consider mosquitoes a small trade-off for what the summertime provides, but what if there were more at risk than a bump above your skin and an itch? In a not so distant past West Nile Virus ascended into news broadcasts all throughout the country and alarming it's residents. Today however, that all seems to be an afterthought. The intentions today are to cover the first found cases of West Nile Virus, the symptoms of West Nile Virus, and finally West Nile Virus' impact on the United States. Through the research here, the hope is that we can all have a better understanding of how West Nile Virus works.
Viruses can do many different things to a body, they can destroy, corrupt, and take over cells in the body. They can damage parts of the body or make your body destroy itself, viruses are dangerous but sometimes can be cured. Viruses do not have the enzymes needed to carry out life so they use other’s cells, called a host cell, to live and to perform their functions, such as reproduction. Viruses inject their genetic instructions into a cell causing the cell to create viruses materials, which become new viruses, and usually break the side of the cell destroying it. The viruses can cause parts of the brain to react and activate, causing behavioral changes. For example a disease called Toxoplasmosis can alter rat behavior, while it affects humans in a different way than rats, its an example of what viruses can do. The virus switches the triggers that causes neuronal reactions for fear and arousal, so that what causes fear actually cuses arousal. This is so that the rat gets eaten by a cat and a parasite (which injects the virus) inside the rat can reproduce in a cat. A virus doesn’t simply just head to the brain to cause these things, as there is a “shield” around the brain that protects it from everything. This “shield” is called the Blood Brain Barrier, the BBB, which molecul...
The article is about how the Zika virus has reached Ontario from the first time. A Canadian citizen travelling back from Columbia brought it over and has now been in contact with their health care providers. This is not the first time the virus has come into Canada there has been a few cases in Alberta, B.C. and Quebec. It is unlikely that many Canadians will be infected with the virus, but knowing that this dangerous virus has crossed our border has many worried.
The government is viewed as the largest business in a county; they have control of the decision making in politics, health matters, taxes and major aspects of a country’s well-being. In the article written by Lorraine Chow “Latin America Doctors Suggest Monsanto-Linked Larvice Cause of Microcephaly, not Zika Virus,” she informs the readers about Monsanto, a chemical company hired by the Brazilian government to provide pesticides with the objective to minimize and eliminate the Zika virus. This virus has remained the main cause for “microcephaly, the medical term in which a baby’s head is abnormally small” (2016).
We are there food. Those germs of the past that best converted our bodies into their own propagation are the germs of the present. Those germs of the present that best convert our bodies into their own propagation will be the germs of the future. Why should we care about the prospects of one particular germ over another? Aren't they all just plain bad? The answer is no. We can never get rid of them all. Their future is our future. If their future goes one way, we will be relatively healthy; if it goes another, we will be sick or even dead. Neglect of the germ's-eye view of the world is not restricted to the average person; it extends to medicine as a whole for most of its history (Ewald 9). Scientists have proven that some viruses are to blame for certain diseases not the genes that have been inherited.
It's very helpful when doctors, especially ones as well educated as Dr. Sergio Cortes, explain imminent health threats in plain, everyday language that everyone can easily understand. Getting information out to the public regarding the Zika virus is vital; the article Find Out More About Zika Virus With Sergio Cortes, from his personal blog, gives people the tools they need to lessen their chances of contracting the virus. Since Zika is now definitely linked to microcephaly, a birth defect affecting infant’s development, it is imperative that pregnant women avoid contracting the Zika virus. The virus is not contagious; people cannot catch it from another person who has the virus, however, when a mosquito that stings a person who has the Zika
The Zika virus epidemic continues to endanger the lives of many, but the lives that are in danger may not be the ones you would expect.
West Nile Virus (WNV) is an enveloped RNA virus that is transmitted from mosquitoes. The first case in North America was discovered in 1999 and it has been discovered that both birds and mosquitoes are carriers of this neuropathogen. Upon biting an infected bird, the mosquito is then infected. When the infected mosquito bites the human, the virus is transferred. Since West Nile Virus’ method of pathogenicity is zoonotic, it is not known to be transferrable from person to person.2 This flavivirus has been known to differentiate into the less serious West Nile Fever and the more severe West Nile Meningitis and West Nile Encephalitis.1
The West Nile Virus is a flavivirus that is maintained in nature by way of an enzootic cycle involving birds and mosquitos. The birds act as amplifying hosts while the mosquitos serve as vectors for the virus. Birds that become infected and develop high levels of the virus in their blood pass the infection onto mosquitoes when bit. The infected mosquito will then infect more birds when they bite. When looking at this study, it is important to note that while the West Nile Virus has been detected in at least 326 bird species, this study will only examine 6. The same goes for mosquitoes, as researchers are only interested in examining the competent species in the urban wetlands and adjacent urban residential areas in Central New Jersey. Competency
Phar 6724 Introduction to the Immune System and Infectious Disease Emerging Infectious Disease Assignment Spring Semester 2016 Over the last three decades, a significant number of new pathogens have been identified that have been responsible for localized epidemics and outbreaks. Some of these diseases have been widely publicized e.g. West Nile Virus & SARS Coronavirus, Zika virus, Ebola virus etc. One of the functions of the Centers for Disease Control is to conduct research and gather information on Emerging Infectious Diseases. The CDC also sends teams of scientists around the world to investigate these outbreaks of new infectious diseases.