What is the Zika Virus and Should You Be Worried?

By ANDREW WATSON
STAFF WRITER

Being in Trinidad and Tobago has given me a unique view of the explosion of worries and panic over H5N1, more commonly known as the Zika virus. According to the Lambert Post, the worry began in May of 2015 when the Pan American Health Organization said Zika was an outbreak in multiple countries, especially Brazil. The reasoning for the lag is that Zika is primarily seen in the form of severe birth defects in infants such as Microcephaly, which is a condition resulting in an underdeveloped brain and small head.

2014 saw only 150 cases of the condition in Brazil, but more than 3,500 since October of 2015, according to BBC. Since the outbreak happened in May, we are just now seeing the horrific effects of the virus. The virus had been discovered in 1947 in Africa but never exploded into the global issue it is today. Its emergence led the US National Institute of Health to say that Zika’s “current explosive pandemic re-emergence is therefore, truly remarkable.”

This week, the World Health Organization “declared the Zika virus a global public health emergency” on the same level of Ebola, per BBC. Additionally, the U.S. has put out travel warning saying pregnant women should not visit Zika affected countries. Although the mortality rate is very low and only 20 percent of people infected develop symptoms, according to BBC, the principal concern is pregnant women. The only major disorder linked to Zika for adults is Guillain-Barre syndrome, which results in partial paralysis.

Currently, I am studying in Trinidad & Tobago, a twin-island nation 7 miles off the coast of Venezuela and the last island in the Caribbean archipelago. Although there have been no confirmed cases here, there is cause for concern due to the proximity to affected areas in South America and the climate, which is ripe for the yellow-fever mosquitos that carry the Zika Virus.

As students, we all received information from the U.S. Embassy in Port of Spain outlining symptoms and precautions to take. The embassy and the country seem to be trying to get ahead of the virus and prepare for its arrival. Surrounding countries such as Barbados, Martinique, Saint Martin and Venezuela have all seen confirmed cases. As a male, the only risk posed to me is a possible rare case of Guillain-Barre or flu-like symptoms. The females on the program are also not at elevated risk.

I spoke to Carol Brekus-Watson, Certified Nurse Midwife of Madison, Connecticut who said that they had no reason to believe that getting the virus while not pregnant would have any impact on future pregnancies. Students down here seem concerned but not overly worried as they have been reassured that unless they are currently pregnant they are at a very low risk.

Back in the United States, cases have only been confirmed by people returning from Zika-stricken areas. Per CNN, a woman in Hawaii gave birth to a child with microcephaly after “being infected with the virus in Brazil last year.”

The CDC says that areas at high risk include anywhere with warm, stagnant climates such as Florida, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. So, for now, students at St. Lawrence, even in my own program down here in Trinidad & Tobago, are safe from Zika. We will be carefully watching if the Zika virus emerges in this country or if new conditions are linked to the infection.