GENEVA: After the Ebola outbreak last year, another deadly virus has started to spread among the Western countries causing alarm among the officials of the World Health Organization (WHO). Zika virus, which belongs to the virus family Flaviviridae, also considered as the cousin of dengue had began to spread rapidly among the Americans creating a state of medical emergency. The worst part of the disease is that one cannot diagnose that he had been infected with Zika, as the virus does not throw-off any symptoms easily.
A disease expert from the World Health Organization said that the rate at which the Zika Virus has been spreading was ‘really alarming’. “We did not think that this virus will create problem to this extent. Though the virus has been discovered in 1950s, it has began expanding its presence only in the last couple of years”, the expert said.
“As of now the virus may attack more than 3-4 million people in America and we cannot guarantee a definite time-period, which the virus may take to completely capture its victims. This is similar to dengue and had no medicinal cure”, the WHO disease expert added.
WHO has called for an emergency meeting on Monday, to discuss the future course of action to deal with the deadly virus. According to the Health body’s estimates, the Virus has shown its presence in as many as 23 countries and may prove to be fatal in the coming months.
Scientists claim that the virus has started its journey from Brazil, before spreading to other western parts. Brazilian researchers reported that they have observed women infected with Zika, giving birth to babies who have an abnormal head. The observation has raised new doubts over the impact of Zika on newborns.
According to the US’s CDC, Zika fever is similar to that of dengue and is transmitted through the bite of day-time mosquitoes. No vaccines or drugs have been discovered till date, which were proved to be effective against Zika virus.
