{"id":5388,"date":"2019-04-11T08:52:57","date_gmt":"2019-04-11T08:52:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.io\/?p=5388"},"modified":"2021-06-02T10:47:50","modified_gmt":"2021-06-02T10:47:50","slug":"14-early-signs-of-zika-virus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.io\/14-early-signs-of-zika-virus\/","title":{"rendered":"14 Early Signs of Zika Virus"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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A disease that is mainly spread by mosquitoes, Zika is usually a mild infection for most people and is very rarely harmful. This comes with the exception of pregnant women, however, and there is plenty of evidence which suggests that infection with the Zika virus can cause children to develop terrible birth defects, such as small heads (known as microcephaly).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most recent outbreaks of the Zika virus have been recorded in the Pacific region, the Caribbean and Africa, whilst the most widely publicized outbreak came in 2017 and 2018 with the outbreak in South and Central America. The countries in these areas were badly affected by Zika, with an ever-increasing number of children born with birth defects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When traveling to an area where the infection is possible or likely, people are encouraged to follow basic mosquito repellent advice, whilst ensuring arms and legs are covered in both clothing and insect repellent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you travel to an affected area, you can reduce your risk of catching the virus by using insect repellent and wearing loose clothing that covers your arms and legs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1.  Rash<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Following a mosquito bite that infects an unfortunate and unwitting person with the Zika virus<\/a>, the development of a localized rash is highly likely. The rash will usually develop around the site of the bite but will spread quickly. One way to track the progress of a rash is to draw around the outline with a marker pen, before observing regularly to check if the rash has grown outside of the initially marked perimeter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zika rashes can be quite sore, particularly to the touch, owing to the fact that they are signs of an angry virus on the move. Rashes on other parts of the body away from the bite sire are also possible, though less likely. Rashes can signal the onset of many infections, but if you\u2019re in a Zika area, and your rash is near the bite site, prepare for the worst. If you\u2019re pregnant, seek medical help immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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2.  Itching all over the body<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Unexplainable itching<\/a>, from head to toe, can also be an early warning sign of infection with the Zika virus. As the virus spreads through the body, a person can feel itchy sensations from the soles of their feet right through to their scalp. It can almost feel as though one has been pranked with a sachet of itching powder. The frustrating thing about this type of itchiness is that no matter how much you scratch it, it just doesn\u2019t seem to go away. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gentle scratching provides mild relief, and unlike chickenpox, it\u2019s unlikely to cause scarring. So if you must itch, itch gently and with a gloved hand to try and limit further irritation. When it comes to kids, there isn\u2019t a parent anywhere who has ever found that the instruction \u2018don\u2019t itch\u2019 to be an easily followed piece of advice. It\u2019s like picking a scab, you know you shouldn\u2019t, but you do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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3.  High Temperature<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When the high temperature<\/a> is present and Zika is suspected, it\u2019s time to go and see a doctor. This early warning sign is never far off the money. Although high temperatures and fever can signal lots of things, it is a symptom that is almost universally experienced by people infected with Zika. Anything over 37 degrees centigrade is worth getting checked out. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expectant mothers or anyone who thinks they may be pregnant can find their body temperatures changing regularly as they make their way through each trimester, however, if anyone suspects Zika, it\u2019s worth going with that hunch. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The worst-case scenario of being wrong is being lumbered with an unexpected medical bill, but surely it\u2019s better to be hit in the pocket for a mistake than to risk ignoring the infection of Zika virus. Kid, adults, infants and senior citizens all suffer from high temperatures at times, but making sure it isn\u2019t Zika virus is just as important as identifying that it is only a mild fever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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4.  Joint Pain<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Joint pain<\/a> can come and go like the wind and the rain. It can be ball and socket joints or hinge joints that feel the effects of this early warning sign. It can be there at night time and completely gone in the day time, or visa versa. When joint pain is an early sign of Zika, it usually builds slowly, from a nagging ache right up to searing discomfort and pain. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pain could be felt in any joint in the body and will usually be painful in the joint site itself, as well as in the surrounding structures. For instance, with knee pain, a person can affect to feel the pain in both their upper and lower leg, as well as in the muscles and ligaments which support the joint\u2019s integrity and function. Not a particularly common later symptom of Zika, joint pain serves its purpose well as a very early precursor to more troubling developments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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5.  Pain behind the eyes<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This type of pain<\/a> can be really distressing for a person, particularly as the diagnosis of Zika hasn’t yet been made in this imagined set of circumstances. A lingering pain that doesn’t go away even after a few days, is made even worse by things like increased sensitivity to light, increased blinking or flickering, and difficulty focusing on something such as a text or a computer screen. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pain behind the eyes can lead a lot of people to worry that their sight could be affected a long term, and this is particularly fascinating, as a lot of people don\u2019t realize the need to look after their eyes until it is too late. Even if it doesn\u2019t turn out to be Zika, ruling out the virus for the benefit of every man, woman, and child in the community can be just as valuable. With eyes, they\u2019re fine until they\u2019re not. Possibly the cleverest organs in the human body, it\u2019s all about the eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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6.  Conjunctivitis<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The gooey, sticky and unsightly appearance of a case of conjunctivitis <\/a>is never nice to behold, although it is a fairly good early warning sign for the presence of Zika. With the eyelids closed together by a snot-like, clear and green substance, the eyes need washing with warm water and cotton buds to bring them back into full working order. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conjunctivitis tends to come and go fairly quickly, but it can be a telltale sign of many illnesses, signaling their arrival way before any other symptoms emerge. Zika is one of the more serious illnesses that conjunctivitis can point to. Anything that affects the eyes, pain behind them and conjunctivitis included, can be a very worrying experience for everyone. Fortunately, conjunctivitis responds well to topical treatments like eye drops, and so it can be addressed relatively quickly to give a person more time to prepare for what is yet to come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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7.  Lower back pain<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Over half of the population is expected to suffer from lower back pain at some point in their lives. It’s a statistic that doesn’t usually help people when trying to diagnose the cause for the pain. Our increasingly sedentary lifestyles<\/a> and office-based working habits have meant that conditions like degenerative disk disease, scoliosis and back spasms have become more common with adults. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because of the prevalence of back pain, and its tendency to improve on its own, a lot of people with Zika caused back pain are often less inclined to get checked out, simply believing that their pain is all part of life and par for the course. This simply isn\u2019t true and in the case of Zika, lower back pain can come and go on an almost hourly basis, making it difficult to predict and even harder to treat, especially when the underlying problem isn\u2019t picked up on early enough. As part of this group of 8 though, lower back pain is definitely a significant early warning sign for the Zika virus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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8.  Headache<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Some headaches <\/a>are caused by dehydration. Some headaches are caused by too much alcohol. Some headaches are caused by being beaten around the head with a big stick. There are lots of reasons why someone can experience a headache. The trick is identifying the cause is by process of elimination. Questions to ask yourself If you have a headache should include asking if you’ve drunk enough fluids or if you’ve spent too long outside in the sun. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Allergies should be considered as well, along with stress and quality of sleep. Once all of these potential causal factors have been addressed and ruled out, and as a last resort, it must be stressed, should someone seek medical advice and analysis of the headache. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Headaches manifest in completely different ways in different people, from a shooting sharp pain across the forehead to a thudding pound at the side of the head. Knowing which type of headache you’re prone to suffering from can be useful in working out whether a particular headache is normal to you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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9. Sore Muscles<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

One of the early warning signs of infection with the Zika virus is stiff and sore muscles. This symptom is also another common flu-like sign associated with Zika infection. As a result, many people don’t realize they\u2019re dealing with Zika and might choose to wait out the symptoms thinking that it\u2019s only the flu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sore and stiff muscles occur due to the immune system’s reaction to the infection. When the virus enters the body, the brain signals the immune system to release antibodies to combat the invading pathogen<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the same time, the body steps up the production of white blood cells from T-cells to destroy the virus. Unfortunately, the infection works its way into muscle tissue, and the antibodies penetrate the muscles, seeking to destroy the virus \u2013 resulting in symptoms of sore muscles. The patient should only experience these symptoms for a few days before the virus starts to work its way out of the body.
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10. Visiting a High-Risk Area<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you visit a high-risk area for Zika and then start to come down with flu-like symptoms, there\u2019s a chance that you could be dealing with a Zika infection. Countries around the Northern regions of South America, as well as Central America and the Pacific region, are all high-risk zones for the Zika virus. However, since the mosquito <\/a>species carrying the virus exists all over the world, we should expect other regions to start experiencing outbreaks in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

People returning home from a high-risk area may find that they start to develop flu-like symptoms that include congestion, fever, pain, and cognitive dysfunction. For those individuals returning from a business trip or vacation in a high-risk zone, they should visit their doctor immediately for diagnosis and treatment of the disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

People living in Florida, the Keys, and Puerto Rico are also at risk of coming in contact with the mosquitoes that carry the Zika virus as well.
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11. Birth Defects – Microcephaly<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Zika virus is not a life-threatening disease. In most cases, the infection clears on its own with doctors prescribing medications to manage symptoms rather than treat the illness. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, Zika can have serious health consequences for pregnant women. One of the more severe complications of the disease includes microcephaly. This condition affects the child in the womb, reducing the size of the circumference of the head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mothers infected with Zika have a high risk of developing a fatal infection that leads to microcephaly. The 2015 \u2013 2016 outbreak <\/a>in South America resulted in a large number of infants being born with the condition. The microcephaly also affects the brain, resulting in the potential of the new-born experiencing damage to the tissues in the brain which impair cognitive development in the child.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The medical community is yet to publish any research that conclusively links microcephaly to new-borns from mothers infected with the virus. However, strong anecdotal evidence exists that states this may be the case.
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12. Brain Damage<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Research shows that the Zika virus can damage neural stem cells critical to brain development. This damage can occur even if the new-born child does not appear to have microcephaly, and its challenging for medical professionals to diagnose the condition during pregnancy<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The virus signals the brain to stop producing new neurons, and the virus has a disorganizing effect on existing neural cells, leaving them disorganized and in different shapes. As a result, the circuitry in the brain no longer can operate efficiently, leading to brain damage and diminished cognitive capacity in infected infants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Children affected by the Zika virus may not show any signs of brain damage until they start to reach two years old, and the effects of brain damage begin to become noticeable in the baby\u2019s behavior and speech. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Researchers are still debating whether the extent of the brain damage will heal naturally, or if it causes cognitive impairment into the adolescent years as well.
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13. Guillain-Barre Syndrome<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Patients who are suffering from the effects of the Zika virus, experience flu-like symptoms during the initial stages of infection. However, the disease also presents a host of severe health complications that occur in some individuals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Guillain-Barre syndrome<\/a> is an example of one such severe health complication related to Zika infection. Patients who develop the syndrome find that they experience the immune system attacking the nervous system. As a result, the patient may notice signs of weakness, as well as tingling in the extremities. This initial signs of the syndrome can spread throughout the body, resulting in sensations of numbness or tingling in other areas as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In its most severe form, people dealing with Guillain-Barre syndrome may require medical treatment to prevent paralysis of the respiratory and cardiovascular systems which may result in the death of the patient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s no known cure for Guillain-Barre syndrome, and most patients end up recovering from the syndrome without medical intervention.  
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14. Prevention Tips
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There is no known cure for the Zika virus, and no vaccine <\/a>to prevent infection. It\u2019s for this reason that the CDC recommends pregnant women avoid traveling to high-risk zones where outbreaks are frequent.
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Should you have to travel to a high-risk area, such as Brazil or Puerto Rico, its best to follow these preventative measures to avoid being infected with the disease.
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Cover up with long sleeves and pants during the early morning and late evening when mosquitoes are active.
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Always ensure you sleep with a mosquito net. Soak it in mosquito repellent and let it dry before use.
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Use citronella candles around sitting areas after dark to keep mosquitos away.
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Avoid sexual contact with others or ensure you have protected sex, as the virus can spread through body fluids as well.
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Use mosquito repellent to avoid bites. Buy some cream or lotion for preventing bites before you leave for your destination \u2013 as you might find the local stores put a premium on these products.
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