The first case of the virus was officially confirmed in Spain, Europe, on Friday. The United States of America has 50 confirmed cases of Zika after the World Health Organisation declared it a global health emergency. Brazil is estimated to have over a million cases.
There is mounting concern over this mysterious disease which is still not fully understood by scientists.
A year and a half into the outbreak across Brazil, the virus has taken a turn in the wrong direction; scientists have identified the first case of sexually transmitted Zika, and for the first time in decades, the Red Cross in America has changed its blood donation policy amidst fears of this virus spreading through blood transfusions.
The organisation has cast a wide net and told people to avoid donating blood for 28 days if they travelled to a Zika affected country (Latin America or the Caribbean), whether or not they had symptoms of the disease.
Now that the virus is travelling across continents, it is only a matter of time before Zika bites India.
Sperm Banks in India Should Watch out Too!
Scientists say that they knew since 2008 that Zika can be transmitted through sex, but such a transmission would be “extremely rare.”
Now that a case of sexual Zika transmission has been identified in the US, sperm banks have to be on high alert because there are no commercial tests for Zika. So clinics can’t screen blood or semen for the virus, the way they do for HIV and hepatitis. In India, only the National Institute of Virology in Pune and National Center for Disease Control in Delhi are the only two labs capable of diagnosing Zika.
In that scenario, drafting a policy for fertility clinics is a necessary nightmare because no one really knows how long the virus can survive in semen, or whether it is present at all if the person doesn’t show any symptoms.
In Britain, the Fertility Society has recommended people to not try and conceive, donate sperms or eggs, or even undergo a fertility treatment for a month after travelling to a Zika hit country.
Related Read: Should You Postpone Travel To Zika-Hit Countries and Other FAQs
Red Cross Will Keep Zika out of the Blood Supply in US, What About India?
Zika has stumped scientists this week.
A lot is not known about the disease, for example, should a person be visibly sick in order to spread it through the sexual route or blood transfusion; given that fever and other symptoms show only in 20% of the infected people?
The only saving grace is that the virus is not transmitted by touch or air. Right now, experts are still trying to establish terra firma for the extent and severity of the current outbreak.
Blood banks across the United States are not taking any chances. There are no commercial testing kits for Zika and if one were to be developed, it would be a failure because the majority of people don’t even come to know if they are carrying the virus.
With just two labs equipped to test for the virus in India, it will be a logistical nightmare for our health authorities to handle the disease if it breaks out in the country.
Why Is Zika so Damn Hard to Wipe Out?
Well, for the same reason dengue has turned out to be a killer each monsoon, season after season, for decades in India.
The annoying Aedes aegypti mosquito loves the human blood and can carry a host of viral diseases like dengue, yellow fever, chikungunya and Zika.
This particular mosquito species has adjusted pretty well to modern cities. Unlike the 3000 other species of mosquitoes, it does not need large water bodies to breed in. It can thrive in as little as a teaspoon of stagnant water, in every little cranny of tires, flower pots, plastic cups, buckets etc. It’s tough to find, so hard to kill.
Right now, the best bet for India is to educate the masses, use mosquito repellent (especially during the day) and not let any water stagnate anywhere. The civic bodies should start fumigating before the disease spreads in India. Right now, that’s our best bet in this battle.
Also Read: The Zika Scare: Don’t Panic, Here are the Myths vs the Facts
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