Zika Virus Paper

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Zika Virus The Zika virus, has as of lately come to the forefront just as sudden as the Ebola virus outbreak, back in 2014. Currently, not much is known with certainty about Zika, however, it is speculated there is a link between it and congenital malformations seen in newborns and other brain involved ailments which have been compared with the demyelization as it is seen in Multiple Sclerosis.
Discovery

Zika virus or ZIKV, which is an Arbovirus of the flavivirus genus belonging to the flaviviridae family, is a mosquito-borne virus that was first identified in 1947 by scientists who were conducting some research in the Zika Forest, located in Uganda. The Zika forest with its luscious foliage of around “135 species …show more content…

The Zika virus was detected in the blood of a 10-year-old Nigerian girl who presented with a low grade fever, a headache and seemingly had evidence of malaria. (Bank, …show more content…

However, the Zika virus has also been connected with other abnormalities such as eye defects, impaired growth and hearing loss. (CDC.com). It remains questionable if pyriproxyfen, a pesticide frequently used to control the mosquito population is also intertwined with the cases of microcephaly and other birth defects surrounding the Zika virus.
Newer studies also reveal the possibility that Zika is linked to an auto immune disorder called acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM). This disorder is similar to Multiple Sclerosis, which attacks the myelin sheath of the nerve fibers of the brain and spinal cord.
Zika has also been linked to temporary paralysis as seen in Guillain-Barre syndrome. In some cases, this paralysis is so severe that the person has to be placed on a ventilator in order to sustain life. Continued research is being conducted in this area and this has of yet to be

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