Combating the Zika Virus

Current Issues with Communicable Diseases
Part 1 Whooping Cough is a disease that doctors may no longer recognize because it has become so rare. Alarms went off in California in the autumn of 2011 when nine infants died from the disease. There have been outbreaks of other preventable diseases such as a 2013 mumps outbreak in Monmouth County New Jersey, and a 2015 measles outbreak at Disneyland in California. In 275 words, please discuss a recent outbreak. Include two scholarly references (using APA formatting and style) to guide your discussion. No abstract
In January 2018, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) announced that an outbreak of measles in Serbia had occurred and issued a warning for Americans contemplating travel there (Measles in Serbia, 2018). The CDC adds that measles is a caused by a highly contagious airborne virus that can result in complications including pneumonia and death (Measles in Serbia, 2018). In this regard, Takia and Wichmann (2014) report that, “Measles is a viral disease that can lead to severe complications such as encephalitis, pneumonia and death” (p. 743). In fact, as of August 2018, there had been approximately 41,000 cases of measles across Europe but Serbia was especially hard hit and at least 14 people had died in Serbia as a result of this latest outbreak of this highly communicable disease (Jakab, 2018).
This recent outbreak was all the more discouraging for European health care officials since it represented the highest level of measles in Europe for more than a decade (Jakab, 2018). International health care authorities cite the lack of immunizations as one of the main reasons for this outbreak of measles in Serbia (Jakab, 2018). For instance, according to Tomáškova and Zelená (2018), “Vaccination commenced in the 1960s [which] significantly influenced a change in the epidemiological situation of measles in Europe. In many countries the endemic transmission of infection was successfully interrupted [and[ the incidence rate decreased to a historical low in the year 2007 to less than 10 cases per population of one million” (p. 22). Moreover, all of the member-states of the European Union, including Serbia, had committed themselves to the complete elimination of measles by 2015 (Takia & Wichmann, 2014). Nevertheless, this most recent outbreak in Serbia underscores the virulence of this disease and highlights and need for ongoing vigilance by health care authorities (Measles in Serbia, 2018).
Part 2
Go to the CDC website and find the answers to the following questions:
What countries in South America are at high risk for Zika?
The Zika virus is a highly communicable disease that is easily spread by people who do not realize they have been infected (What you need to know, 2018). As the map depicted in Figure 1 below clearly indicates, although virtually all South American countries are at high risk for the Zika virus today, Brazil is especially at risk due to a combination of various factors that exacerbate the prevalence of this disease (Wilson & Nguyen, 2017).. Other South American countries at risk of the Zika virus include Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Venezuela (What you need to know, 2018).
= Areas with risk of Zika infection (below 6,500 feet)*
= Areas with low likelihood of Zika infection (above 6,500 feet)*
= Areas with no known risk of Zika infection
*Mosquitoes that can spread Zika usually live in places below 6,500 feet and the chances of getting Zika from mosquitoes living above that altitude are very low.
Figure 1. South American countries at risk of Zika virus outbreaks
Source: CDC at https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/page/world-map-areas-with-zika
Why is this currently relevant?
The children born of women who are infected by the preventable Zika virus can suffer from severe birth defects and a growing body of evidence implicates Zika with the Guillain-Barré syndrome which can damage nerve cells, cause muscle weaknesses and even paralysis (What you need to know, 2018).
How many cases of Zika exist in the United States as of this month?
There have been no reported Zika cases in the United States during 2018 to date (Areas with risk of Zika, 2018).
How many are locally acquired?
None.
How many are travel associated?
None.
How many cases are reported in your home state?
None.
Regarding the “Chain of Infection” of Zika virus disease.
What is the pathogen?
According to the CDC, the pathogen responsible for the Zika virus is a “single-stranded RNA virus of the Flaviviridae family, genus Flavivirus” (Clinical evaluation and disease, 2018, para. 2).
What are the reservoirs?
In this context, a reservoir refers to a habitat in which infectious agents such as the Zika virus can grow and thrive (Introduction to epidemiology, 2018).
How is Zika transmitted?
The Zika virus is directly or indirectly transmitted when the pathogen leaves its reservoir in its host and causes infection by entering through a susceptible host’s portal of entry, a sequence that is referred to as “the chain of infection” (Introduction to epidemiology, 2018).
Who are susceptible hosts?
Although anyone can be infected by the Zika virtus, humans with certain genetic traits and those with diminished immune systems are at especially high risk (Introduction to epidemiology, 2018).
References
Areas at risk of Zika. (2018). U.S. Centers for Disease Control. Retrieved from https://www. cdc.gov/zika/geo/index.html.
Clinical evaluation and disease. (2018). U.S. Centers for Disease Control. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/zika/hc-providers/preparing-for-zika/clinicalevaluationdisease.html.
Introduction to epidemiology. (2018). U.S. Centers for Disease Control. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/ophss/csels/dsepd/ss1978/lesson1/section10.html.
Jakab, Z. (2018, August 22). Measles cases hit record high in Europe: WHO rash of 41,000 measles cases in Europe this year alone. Cape Times, 2.
Measles in Serbia. (2018). U.S. Centers for Disease Control. Retrieved from https://wwwnc. cdc.gov/travel/notices/watch/measles-serbia.
Takia, A. & Wichmann, O. (2014, October). Measles incidence and reporting trends in Germany, 2007-2011. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 92(10), 742-746.
Tomášková, H. & Zelená, H. (2018, March). Serological survey of measles immunity in the Czech Republic, 2013. Central European Journal of Public Health, 26(1), 22.
What you need to know. (2018). U.S. Centers for Disease Control. Retrieved from https://www. cdc.gov/zika/about/needtoknow.html.
Wilson, A. & Nguyen, T. N. (2017, January). The Zika virus epidemic: Public health roles for nurses. Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 22(1), 1-3.