WORLD WAR Z: Plagues & Pestilences - 3 Deaths Linked To Zika Virus In Venezuela; Infection Spreads To 20 States In The U.S.; And Discovery Of The Disease In Fetus May Prove Link Between Zika And Severe Brain Defect!

The World Health Organization appears to have triggered a surge in microcephaly, which causes babies to be born with
smaller than usual heads and can result in severe disabilities

February 12, 2016 - HEALTH - The following constitutes the latest developments on the spread of the Zika virus across the globe.

3 deaths linked to Zika virus in Venezuela

Three people have died in Venezuela from complications related to the Zika virus, President Nicolas Maduro said.

There have been 319 confirmed cases of the Zika virus in the nation, state-run newspaper Correo Del Orinoco reported Thursday.

Venezuela's deaths come as other Latin American nations battle the virus.

Zika is also commanding attention because of an alarming connection between the virus and microcephaly, a neurological disorder in which babies are born with abnormally small heads. It causes severe developmental issues and in some cases, death.

The Zika virus is a flavivirus, part of the same family as yellow fever, West Nile and dengue. But unlike some of those viruses, there is no vaccine to prevent Zika and no medicine to treat the infection.

Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the first case of locally acquired Zika virus in the United States in the latest outbreak. The case was transmitted via sex, and not by the most common route, which is via mosquito bite.

Brazil has reported the most cases in the outbreak, sparking major concern because the nation is hosting the Olympics in August.

The World Health Organization has declared the spike in microcephaly cases a global health emergency. Other nations affected include Colombia and El Salvador.

Adult deaths unclear

The WHO said it has not seen adult deaths due to the Zika virus, adding that the world health agency is awaiting more information on the Venezuela deaths. Brazil also reported three deaths from the virus, but experts say more research is needed on those cases as well.

"We have not seen reports of deaths of adults directly linked to the viral infection," said Dr. Marie-Paule Kieny, the WHO assistant director-general for health systems and innovation.

People infected with Zika usually develop mild symptoms - fever, rash, joint pain, and red eyes - which usually last no more than a week.

"It could be that this was Guillain-Barre in persons known to be infected with Zika virus, but this will need to be confirmed. We have had no direct primary information from Venezuela on that yet."

The link between Zika virus and Guillain-Barre is highly probable, according to Kieny. Areas where there is an increased prevalence of Zika have also seen an increase in cases of Guillain-Barre syndrome.

"The direct causality is still to be demonstrated but the association in time and location seems to be clear. We have a few more weeks to be sure to demonstrate the causality, but the link between Zika and Guillain-Barre is highly probable," Kieny said.

Guillain-Barre is a rare autoimmune disorder that can lead to life-threatening paralysis.

Vaccines in the works

The WHO has said that vaccines to fight the Zika virus are at least 18 months away from large scale trials.

Many companies have been identified, but most have just begun working on a vaccine, according to Kieny.

"The landscape is evolving very rapidly and numbers change daily," she said.

"About 15 companies have been identified by the WHO so far, and most only just started work. Two vaccines candidates seem to be more advanced."  - CNN.

First case of Zika identified in Alabama as it emerges virus has now spread to 20 U.S. states and DC

The Zika virus is now believed to have spread to 20 states, as well as Washington, DC, with 59 reported cases in the United States.
All of the cases involved people who were infected abroad before returning to America

The first case of the Zika virus has been confirmed in Alabama.

Officials in Alabama said the person had recently traveled to a country affected by the virus and returned infected.

The individual, who has not been identified, is a resident of Morgan County in the Tennessee Valley and is said to be 'fine'.

Four other people have been tested and are awaiting results, while another person, who had returned from Latin American country, came back negative.

'The person is fine,' Dr Jim McVay, from the Alabama Department of Public Health, told Al.com.

Dr Tom Miller, acting state health officer, said he expected more cases to be identified in Alabama.

'We knew it was only a matter of time before we would have the first positive case of an individual in Alabama with Zika virus,' he said.

'Given the frequency of international travel to affected areas, we anticipate having additional positive cases. We are working with the medical community to identify high-risk individuals.'

The Zika virus is now believed to have spread to 20 states, as well as Washington, DC.

The worst affected areas are Florida, with 14 cases of Zika, Texas, with 11, California, with six, and New York, with five.

Hawaii, Illinois, Nebraska, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Washington, DC, have all seen at least two cases, while 10 other states have each seen one infection.

Indiana and Ohio became the latest states to confirm infections after women returning from Haiti were found to have the virus.

Of the 59 reported cases of the virus in the U.S., all of them have been brought back into the country by people who became infected abroad.

There have been no cases where the virus has been spread by mosquitoes in the U.S..

It came as the World Health Organization declared the outbreak, which has swept through South and Central America since last summer, an international public health emergency over fears the virus has triggered a surge in cases of the birth defect microcephaly. - Daily Mail.

Zika found in fetus may prove link between virus and severe brain defect – study

Daniele Santos, 29, cleans her son Juan Pedro's ear who is 2-months old and born with microcephaly, after bathing him
at their house in Recife, Brazil, February 9, 2016. © Nacho Doce / Reuters

A group of researchers from Slovenia presented a first documented case of mother-to-fetus Zika transmission, moving one step closer to pinpointing the link between serious birth defects and the virus sweeping across the Americas.

The study published in the New England Journal of Medicine by scientists from the University of Ljubljana provides a report on a 25-year-old European woman “probably infected with ZIKV” who had to have her pregnancy terminated due to microcephaly found in her baby, a type of defect causing infants to be born with underdeveloped brains and skulls.

An autopsy performed after the surgery showed that the fetus had no other anomalies, while the detailed medical background of the woman revealed no sigh of genetic disorders.

The obtained information explicitly indicates the connection between the virus and abnormalities found in newborns, the study said.

The researchers were also able to recover the whole Zika virus genome that will contribute to further research.

In addition, infants born to mothers infected with Zika may suffer from eye abnormalities worsening with time and leading to blindness, another study published in the journal JAMA Ophthalmology on Tuesday, February 9, said.

Researchers monitored babies with underdeveloped skulls (smaller than 32 centimeters) over 21 days at Roberto Santos General Hospital in Salvador, where the Zika outbreak has been particularly severe. Retinas and optic nerves of ten infants were found affected. Seven babies had anomalies in both eyes.

“Congenital infection due to presumed ZIKV exposure is associated with vision-threatening findings, which include bilateral macular and perimacular lesions as well as optic nerve abnormalities in most cases,” the study concludes. - RT.