Zika fever facts for kids
Zika fever is an illness caused by the Zika virus. This virus is part of the Flavivirus family. Other illnesses in this family include dengue fever and chikungunya. However, Zika fever is usually not as serious as those illnesses. Most people (about 60-80%) who get the Zika virus do not have any symptoms at all.
People who do have symptoms usually get a low fever and conjunctivitis (red eyes). They might also have joint pain, especially in their hands and feet. A rash often appears, starting on the face and spreading to the body. These symptoms are usually mild and get better in 2 to 7 days.
Since 2015, there has been a large outbreak of Zika virus in Brazil. Scientists believe that if a pregnant woman has the Zika virus, she can pass it to her unborn baby. This can cause a birth defect called microcephaly. Babies with microcephaly have a smaller head than usual. This can lead to intellectual disability and other brain problems, like seizures.
Because of this risk, in January 2016, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned pregnant women. They advised them not to travel to certain countries. These countries included Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Suriname, Venezuela, and Puerto Rico. This warning was due to the risk of getting the Zika virus there.
In areas where the Zika virus is common, people may also have a higher chance of certain problems. These include birth defects, nerve problems like Guillain-Barré syndrome, and autoimmune diseases.
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How Doctors Find Zika Fever
Finding out if someone has Zika fever can be tricky. First, Zika fever has many of the same signs and symptoms as other viruses. This makes it hard to tell them apart.
Second, special laboratory tests are needed to confirm Zika virus. For example, a test can look for the virus's RNA in a person's blood or urine. But the Zika virus often does not stay in the blood for very long. Also, since most people have no symptoms, they don't know they need testing. Blood tests can also look for specific antibodies. These are what the body makes to fight the Zika virus. However, these tests can be expensive. They also need special labs that are not everywhere.
If tests cannot confirm Zika virus, it can be hard to know if it's Zika fever or another infection. The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggests doctors consider other infections first. These include:
How Zika Spreads
Humans usually get the Zika virus from mosquito bites. These mosquitoes belong to the Aedes family. Scientists have found at least eight different kinds of Aedes mosquitoes that can spread Zika to people. Mosquitoes get the virus after biting animals that are infected.
The Zika virus can also pass from a mother to her unborn baby during pregnancy.
Protecting Yourself from Zika
There is no vaccine for the Zika virus yet. However, the United States National Institutes of Health is working to create one.
The best way to avoid Zika virus is to protect yourself from mosquitoes. If you are traveling to places where Zika virus is found, you should:
- Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants.
- Use bug spray.
- Stay and sleep in rooms with window and door screens.
- Use air conditioning if possible.
- Use a mosquito net when sleeping.
Treating Zika Fever
Right now, there is no specific treatment or cure for Zika fever. Doctors can only give "supportive care." This means they treat the symptoms of the virus. For example, they can give medicines for pain, fever, and itching.
However, some scientists advise against using medicines like aspirin and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). These are common for pain and fever. This is because people with similar viruses who take these medicines have had more bleeding problems.
There are no known anti-viral medications that can kill the Zika virus.
Since there are no cures, scientists suggest pregnant women do everything to avoid getting the virus. Once a pregnant woman has Zika, nothing can stop her baby from possibly getting infected too.
Where Zika Fever Has Been Found
Zika fever was first found in 1947. It was in a rhesus monkey in the Zika Forest in Uganda. The first human cases were reported in Nigeria in 1954. A few outbreaks have happened in tropical Africa and parts of Southeast Asia, but not India. In 1977–1978, Zika virus caused fevers in Indonesia.
The first major outbreak outside Africa and Asia was in 2007. It happened in Micronesia's Yap Islands. 185 people were confirmed to have the Zika virus there. In 2013, another large outbreak occurred in French Polynesia.
In May 2015, Brazil officially reported its first 16 cases of Zika fever. By November 2015, Zika fever had spread to 14 states in Brazil. Zika virus is believed to have caused 2,400 cases of microcephaly and 29 infant deaths in Brazil in 2015.
Since first appearing in the Western Hemisphere in February 2014, Zika fever has spread quickly. It has moved through South America and Central America. It reached Mexico in November 2015.
On January 24, 2016, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned about the Zika virus. They said it would likely spread to almost all countries in the Americas. This is because the mosquito that spreads the virus, Aedes aegypti, lives in all American countries except Canada and Chile.
On February 1, 2016, the WHO declared the Zika virus a "public health emergency." They also said the virus was "spreading explosively" (very quickly). They estimated that 3 million to 4 million people could get the virus in the next year.
Related pages
- Flaviviruses
- Aedes genus of mosquitoes
- Infectious disease
Images for kids
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Rash on an arm due to Zika fever
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Countries with active Zika virus transmission as of September 2016. From http://www.cdc.gov/zika/geo/active-countries.html
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Areas of active Zika Virus transmission, April 2016
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Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff in a videoconference about the Zika virus at the National Center for Disaster Management.
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See also
In Spanish: Fiebre del Zika para niños
