Zika virus could threaten Europe in spring and summer, warns WHO. He advises the countries of our continent to begin preparations to protect their citizens. And for South American countries to immediately focus on eliminating Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. The Chief Sanitary Inspector of Poland believes that a trip to South America may be dangerous not only for pregnant women, but also for young children. Probably, Zika causes not only fetal defects, but can also cause so-called flaccid paralysis of the nervous system in a healthy child.
– There are still many unknowns around the Zika virus. There is no evidence that the virus can reproduce in our climate, so I think that Poles do not have to be afraid of an epidemic. The problem is that tourists travel to South American countries that may become infected and then return to the country, says Jan Bondar. spokesman for the Chief Sanitary Inspectorate. – There have been reports that the virus can be dangerous not only for pregnant women, because the mother’s infection spreads to the fetus and causes irreversible defects and deformities, but also for young children, in whom it can cause so-called flaccid paralysis, i.e. a neurological disease. It is also said that the virus can be infected through sexual contact, as viral DNA was found in male sperm. However, it is not known how long the virus can persist in male semen and how long it is active. On our website among the travel guidelines, the Chief Sanitary Inspector warns travelers, not only pregnant women, but also those planning her and traveling with young children, to think about the trip – adds Jan Bondar. He also reminds that other mosquitoes in tropical countries are dangerous, and their bite may expose us to the so-called. hemorrhagic fever or Dengue disease. That is why it is important to wear appropriate clothes, cover the windows and doors with mosquito nets, lubricate the body with mosquito repellent preparations, because we can get bitten by e.g. sunbathing in the morning or just before sunset on a Brazilian beach.
Although the World Health Organization (WHO) declares that European countries should begin preparations to protect their population against the Zika virus, which is currently spreading in South America, it does not give precise recommendations. However, he estimates that this virus may threaten Europe in spring and summer, so European countries should now take measures to reduce the risk of spreading the pathogen.
Zika virus is transmitted by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. They come from Africa, from where they spread to North and South America, Australia, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific Islands. The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control reports that they appeared in Europe in the first half of the XNUMXth century. Then they were observed, among others in France, Spain, Portugal, Italy and even Ukraine and Our Country. Already in the XNUMXst century, the presence of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes was confirmed in Madeira, the Netherlands, Georgia and Our Country.
According to Dr. Leszek Mayer from the Outpatient Clinic of Occupational Medicine and Tropical Diseases of the University Center of Maritime and Tropical Medicine in Gdynia, countries where the Aedes mosquito spreads the virus – e.g. Southern European countries – should first of all implement programs to combat mosquito infestations. «They should have dealt with this a long time ago. It is known that the climate is warming up and mosquitoes are moving further and further north, »says Dr Mayer. “It is also important to drain mosquito habitats: reservoirs of stagnant water in which they can breed,” he adds.
The situation is somewhat different in northern Europe, where, as Dr. Mayer says, “there is no other way of transmission than from person to person: through sexual contact. Here, the authorities can actually only call for safe sex. Not only because of venereal diseases, but also because of the Zika virus »admits Dr. Mayer.
The possibility of a US citizen’s Zika virus being infected by sexual means – and not by a mosquito bite – was recently reported by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta. It was the first such case in the United States, but not the first in the world. According to the CDC, Zika was sexually transmitted in 2013 in French Polynesia.
Due to the transmission of the virus by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, tourists who will travel in the spring and summer, for example, in Southern European countries, should remember to protect themselves against mosquito bites. There is no vaccine against the Zika virus.
«You have to remember to close windows and doors, turn on the air conditioning, kill mosquitoes in the room. If necessary – when going outside – you must put on clothes that cover as much of the body’s surface as possible, and on those exposed, use mosquito repellants »- says Dr. Mayer. These preparations should be applied even several times a day, especially after bathing and in high humidity, because intense sweating removes them from the skin.
«Scientists recognize the Aedes mosquito very easily, but for the average person it is much more difficult. It looks the same in motion. Only when he sits down and we look at him through the magnifying glass, we can see his bright spots »- describes the researcher. An important difference between Aedes and the most famous mosquito in Poland is the time of its activity. «Forkbeard stings after sunset until dawn, while Aedes stings earlier. It starts during the day – but not long before sunset – and, of course, after sunset, »explains Dr. Mayer.
The Zika virus has been known since 1947. Until last year, it was considered that there were no serious health effects. Scientists now suspect that Zika is associated with an increase in microcephaly (microcephaly) in newborns and the occurrence of a rare condition known as Guillain-Barre syndrome, which can cause paralysis and, in extreme cases, death in people with weakened immune systems. In pregnant women, Zika can pass to the fetus, cause birth defects and lead to the death of the baby. In Brazil, the number of Zika virus-related suspected and confirmed cases of microcephaly in newborns at the end of January was over 4, or around 350 cases more than the week before.