niman Posted May 2, 2016 Report Share Posted May 2, 2016 (edited) New warnings on Zika linked neuropathologies presented at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies in Baltimore. https://www.pas-meeting.org/press-room Edited May 2, 2016 by niman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
niman Posted May 2, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 2, 2016 Zika Virus Birth Defects May Be 'Tip of the Iceberg', Experts Sayby MAGGIE FOXSHAREShareTweetShareEmailPrintCommentThe explosion of cases of birth defects caused by Zika virus may be the "tip of the iceberg," experts said Sunday.Many cases have probably been missed because babies looked normal when they were born. But hidden birth defects are almost certain to turn up as the babies grow, they told a meeting of pediatricians Sunday in Baltimore.PlayFacebookTwitterGoogle PlusEmbed First Zika-Related Death in U.S. Reported in Puerto Rico 2:36"The microcephaly and other birth defects we have been seeing could be the tip of the iceberg," Dr. Sonja Rasmussen of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies."The true burden of congenital disease with Zika virus is probably underestimated," said Dr. Marco Safadi of the Santa Casa Medical School in Sao Paulo, Brazil, who's been treating and studying cases.Safadi described a case he just saw recently.The baby looked OK when he was born in January, even though his mother had suffered some of the classic symptoms of Zika infection at the end of her second trimester of pregnancy: fever and a rash.Related: WHO Warns Women on Travel to Zika ZonesBut his head was just on the borderline of being normal, with a circumference of 12.7 inches. The cutoff for microcephaly, the small head that's the hallmark of Zika brain damage, is 12.9 inches. A neurologist measures a child's head at Mestre Vitalino Hospital in Caruaru, Brazil, in December. Felipe Dana / APMRI and CT scans done when he was 2 months old showed that the baby had brain damage — areas of hardened brain tissue called calcifications, which happen when the cells die, and areas of the brain filled with fluid, a condition called ventriculomegaly.The baby tested positive for Zika in his blood, urine and saliva. It was an unusual case, because the child was born in Sao Paulo, where Zika is not common. The father had been in northeastern Brazil a few weeks before the mother developed symptoms. "We think that probably a sexual transmission occurred," Safadi said.It's not yet clear what the consequences will be for the child. Newborns with microcephaly often act just like other newborns, perhaps a bit fussier. But the disabilities will appear as the growing children miss important milestones. They'll have learning deficiencies, vision problems and hearing problems, and many will also have physical disabilities.There is no cure."We really don't know what will happen with these kids long-term," Rasmussen said.Some of the cases are obvious and devastating, from very severe microcephaly,in which the head is abnormally small because of brain damage, to a horrific condition called fetal brain disruption sequence, when the overwhelming damage to the brain causes the baby's soft skull to collapse and take on a ridged appearance.Related: How Can Zika Kill You?Brazil has confirmed 2,844 cases of Zika in pregnant women.Rasmussen said researchers have gone back to an outbreak in French Polynesia in 2013 and 2014 and estimated that 1 percent of pregnant women who became infected in the first trimester of pregnancy had children with microcephaly. Safadi said that would add up to many cases in Brazil, where 2.8 million children are born every year.PlayFacebookTwitterGoogle PlusEmbed FDA approves first commercial Zika test 0:17But there is some good news coming out of the early observations of the yearlong epidemic in Brazil. Children are rarely infected with Zika.Safadi said clinics in Brazil are seeing just what French Polynesia saw in its 2013-14 outbreak: Patients have an average age of 42. Children and teens rarely get infected, and the researchers don't understand why not."We were screening for it and going out and even going out and looking for it, and we did not find any children with Zika infection," said Dr. Karin Nielsen, a professor of pediatrics at UCLA who is working with Brazilian colleagues at the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation in Rio de Janeiro.But it does infect the fetus, and 54 miscarriages or newborn deaths have been caused by Zika, Safadi said.The researchers have found that a paralyzing condition called Guillain-Barre syndrome is rare, hitting far fewer than 1 percent of patients: just 0.24 per 1,000. And Zika seems to cause a milder version of the condition, still putting patients into the hospital for 10 days or so, but not for as long as seen with other infections, Safadi said.Zika rarely kills, but a man in Puerto Rico died last week from a hemorrhage caused by a rare immune reaction to the viral infection. It also causes a range of rare neurological disorders.And the researchers have another cheering prediction. The epidemic appears to be on the wane in Rio, at least for now, they said. By the time the Summer Olympics Games get under way in August, the peak of winter in Brazil, the risk of Zika and other mosquito-borne infections should be low, they said.It supports what Brazilian Olympics officials have been saying. The Aedes aegyptimosquito that carries Zika is far more of a problem in the warmer, wetter summer months. August is usually sunny in Rio, with an average high temperature of 78 degrees.Nielsen said her colleagues are already beginning to have trouble finding women infected with Zika to study."Zika is virtually disappearing from Rio," Nielsen said. "We think that by August there will be little Zika circulating in Brazil."Safadi said, "That is exactly my perception."But that won't mean it's gone.Safadi thinks Zika may stay around for years, citing a study just published that showed monkeys have been infected with Zika in Brazil. That means they can act as a reservoir, as they do with yellow fever.Even if a vaccine is developed and people get vaccinated, or if enough of the population gets infected to confer widespread immunity, the monkeys will be there for the mosquitoes to bite and carry the infection to people in the future. That will makes Zika a problem for years to come."We are trying to get rid of the Aedes, but I have to say we are failing in controlling this vector," Safadi said. http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/zika-virus-outbreak/zika-virus-birth-defects-may-be-tip-iceberg-experts-say-n565631 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
niman Posted May 2, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 2, 2016 Zika is MORE dangerous than we thought: Experts say virus could affect up to a FIFTH of infected pregnant women's babiesZika virus is linked with microcephaly and Guillain-Barre syndromePreviously thought it could affect 1% of infected pregnant women's babiesExperts think it could be behind more damaging neurological conditions World Health Organisation says it could spread to Europe in summer For more of the latest on the Zika virus visit www.dailymail.co.uk/zikavirusBy KATE PICKLES and MADLEN DAVIES FOR MAILONLINEPUBLISHED: 05:51 EST, 2 May 2016 | UPDATED: 06:16 EST, 2 May 2016 5View comments The Zika virus could be more dangerous in pregnant women than first feared, Brazilian scientists have warned.Experts are now linking it to several neurological conditions - in addition to microcephaly, where babies are born with abnormally small heads. Dr Renato Sa, an obstetrician and foetal medicine specialist, said he believes babies in up to a fifth of pregnant women with the virus could be affected.‘The expectation is that a woman who has had Zika has a one per cent chance of having a baby with microcephaly,' he told the BBC. +4Experts now say that Zika could affect babies in 20 per cent of pregnancies where the mother has the virus 'But if we consider a range of other possible neurological conditions, that figure rises to about 20 per cent.’ The virus has long been linked to babies being born with microcephaly - a disease characterised by unusually small heads and developmental problems.It has also been linked to Guillain-Barré syndrome - a nerve disorder that causes temporary muscle paralysis.Previous estimates have suggested one per cent of women who have had Zika during pregnancy will have a child with microcephaly.RELATED ARTICLESPrevious1NextUK GM mosquitoes could beat Zika: Mutants that will help...Puerto Rico Zika cases now include 65 pregnant women, 1...Bride is left with one leg DOUBLE the size of the other...'How dare YOU Jeremy Hunt!':Grieving mother launches...SHARE THIS ARTICLEShareBut a study in the New England Journal of Medicine, said 29 per cent of scans showed abnormalities in babies in the womb, including growth restrictions, in women infected with Zika.It comes after experts Europe should brace itself for the arrival of the Zika because mosquitoes carrying the virus will flock to the continent as summer arrives.Despite a decline in cases in Brazil, there is the potential for a 'marked increase' in Zika infections as the virus spreads to new parts of the world, according to the United Nations' health agency.Until now Zika has been largely contained to Latin America and the Caribbean - but as summer arrives in the northern hemisphere the mosquitoes that carry the disease will travel to Europe.Marie-Paule Kieny, the World Health Organisation's assistant director general, said: 'As seasonal temperatures begin to rise in Europe, two species of Aedes mosquito which we know transmit the virus will begin to circulate.'The mosquito knows no borders.' There is also a risk men infected with Zika could pass the disease on to women via sex, and the world 'could see a marked increase in the number of people with Zika and related complications,' Ms Kieny said.The virus is known to be transmitted by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes found in the tropics.But the second Zika-transmitting mosquito, Aedes albopictus, has been found in European countries in the summer – including France, Spain, Italy, Greece and Croatia. Scientists at the University of Oxford produced map charting the potential spread of the Zika virus across the world - but they did not predict it would spread to Europe +4 A Zika-transmitting mosquito, Aedes albopictus, has been found in European countries in the summer – including France, Spain, Italy, Greece and Croatia. The virus has been linked to other However, Aedes albopictus mosquito is less prone to causing outbreaks than its cousin Aeses aegypti, according to new research by the Pasteur Institute.A virus can also be introduced to a new region when a local mosquito picks it up from an infected human - someone coming back from a holiday in South America, for example.If it lives long enough, the mosquito then infects people who it bites, starting a vicious cycle. In Brazil, the country hardest hit by the outbreak, officials are investigating more than 2,500 cases of suspected microcephaly.But Ms Kiely said infections are 'clearly on the decline'.She made the comments at a Zika conference in Paris, in which 600 disease experts from 43 nations are meeting to analyse data on the outbreak. Despite a flurry of research, very little is known about the virus, including how long it can hide out in the human body and the degree of risk of sexual transmission.It is also not known exactly which diseases and disorders it may cause or all the mosquito types capable of transmitting it. As seasonal temperatures begin to rise in Europe, two species of Aedes mosquito which we know transmit the virus will begin to circulate. The mosquito knows no bordersMarie-Paule Kieny, the World Health Organisation's assistant director general Professor David Heymann, of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine said: 'It's not what we know but what we don't know that is concerning.'We can't make recommendations for prevention if we don't understand the full potential of a virus or bacteria.'As there is no vaccine or treatment for the virus, Ms Kieny described it as a 'global emergency' and a 'growing threat'.Developing new tools for quickly diagnosing infections - particularly in pregnant women whose babies risk severe disability - is an 'urgent priority', she added.Scientists in the United States, France, Brazil, India and Austria are working on 23 vaccine-development projects, she said.But it could take years to create, so the feasibility of an 'emergency-use' vaccine is being examined. Until then, the first line of defence remains controlling mosquitoes and preventing people being bitten, experts said.And women in regions where there is an outbreak are advised to put off becoming pregnant. +4There have been an estimate two million cases of Zika across 40 countries, with 1.5 million infections in BrazilDuane Gubler of the Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore, said Zika 'surprised' the world, just as Ebola before it, despite both viruses having been known about for decades.'I think we should take this as a wakeup call and start developing our surveillance systems so we can monitor these viruses a little more effectively,' he told the conference.Ms Kieny said particular vigilance was required in Africa, where the virus was first discovered in Uganda in 1947. A Zika outbreak began in Brazil in early 2015, followed nine months later by an surge of infants born with microcephaly, and an increase in Guillain-Barre cases.Brazil reported some 1.5 million infections out of an estimated global total of two million in more than 40 countries.In eight nations, there have been reports of person-to-person transmission via sex. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT ZIKA WHAT IS ZIKA?The Zika (ZEE'-ka) virus was first discovered in monkey in Uganda in 1947 - its name comes from the Zika forest where it was first discovered. It is native mainly to tropical Africa, with outbreaks in Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands. It appeared in Brazil in 2014 and has since been reported in many Latin American countries and Caribbean islands. HOW IS IT SPREAD?It is typically transmitted through bites from the same kind of mosquitoes - Aedes aegypti - that can spread other tropical diseases, like dengue fever, chikungunya and yellow fever. It is not known to spread from person to person. Though rare, scientists have found Zika can be transmitted sexually. The World Health Organisation recently warned the mode of transmission is 'more common than previously assumed'.And, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently issued first-time guidance, saying couples trying to conceive should abstain or wear condoms for six months if the male has confirmed or suspected Zika. +4 Zika is typically transmitted through bites from the same kind of mosquitoes - Aedes aegypti - that can spread other tropical diseases, like dengue fever, chikungunya and yellow fever Additionally, the CDC said couples should abstain or wear condoms for eight weeks if the female has confirmed or suspected Zika, or if the male traveled to a country with a Zika outbreak but has no symptoms. During the current outbreak, the first case of sexually transmitted Zika was reported in Texas, at the beginning of February.The patient became infected after sexual contact with a partner diagnosed with the virus after travelling to an affected region.Now, health officials in the US are investigating more than a dozen possible cases of Zika in people thought to be infected during sex.There are also reported cases in France and Canada.Prior to this outbreak, scientists reported examples of sexual transmission of Zika in 2008.A researcher from Colorado, who caught the virus overseas, is thought to have infected his wife, on returning home.And records show the virus was found in the semen of a man in Tahiti.So far, each case of sexual transmission of Zika involves transmission from an infected man to his partner. There is no current evidence that women can pass on the virus through sexual contact. The World Health Organization says Zika is rapidly spreading in the Americas because it is new to the region, people aren't immune to it, and the Aedes aegypti mosquito that carries it is just about everywhere - including along the southern United States.Canada and Chile are the only places without this mosquito.Scientists revealed a molecular map of the Zika virus, which could help scientists develop new treatments for the diseaseARE THERE SYMPTOMS?The majority of people infected with Zika virus will not experience symptoms. Those that do, usually develop mild symptoms - fever, rash, joint pain, and red eyes - which usually last no more than a week.There is no specific treatment for the virus and there is currently no vaccine to protect against infection, though several are in the developmental stages.WHY IS IT A CONCERN NOW?In Brazil, there has been mounting evidence linking Zika infection in pregnant women to a rare birth defect called microcephaly, in which a newborn's head is smaller than normal and the brain may not have developed properly. Brazilian health officials last October noticed a spike in cases of microcephaly in tandem with the Zika outbreak. The country said it has confirmed more than 860 cases of microcephaly - and that it considers them to be related to Zika infections in the mother.Brazil is also investigating more than 4,200 additional suspected cases of microcephaly. However, Brazilian health officials said they had ruled out 1,471 suspected cases in the week ending March 19.Now Zika has been conclusively proven to cause microcephaly.The WHO also stated that researchers are now convinced that Zika is responsible for increased reports of a nerve condition called Guillain-Barre that can cause paralysis. A team of Purdue University scientists recently revealed a molecular map of the Zika virus, which shows important structural features that may help scientists craft the first treatments to tackle the disease. The map details vital differences on a key protein that may explain why Zika attacks nerve cells - while other viruses in the same family, such as dengue, Yellow Fever and West Nile, do not. CAN THE SPREAD BE STOPPED?Individuals can protect themselves from mosquito bites by using insect repellents, and wearing long sleeves and long pants - especially during daylight, when the mosquitoes tend to be most active, health officials say. Eliminating breeding spots and controlling mosquito populations can help prevent the spread of the virus. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3569236/Zika-dangerous-thought-Experts-say-virus-affect-FIFTH-infected-pregnant-women-s-babies.html#ixzz47VHhC9wI Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
niman Posted May 2, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 2, 2016 Zika virus may cause more forms of brain damage to unborn babies3:36amShare Source:Just months out from the Rio Olympics, scientists in Brazil say the Zika virus could be more dangerous than originally thought.Lara, who was born with microcephaly, is examined by a neurologist at the Pedro I hospital in Campina Grande, Paraiba state, Brazil.Source: Associated PressWhile the virus has been linked to birth defects, researchers now believe it may result in other damaging neurological conditions.Rates of the virus spreading in Brazil have slowed due to better education about the disease, while a vaccine is still being developed, BBC News reported.It is estimated about one per cent of women who have had Zika during pregnancy will have a child with microcephaly, where babies are born with abnormally small heads. However, doctors in Brazil told BBC News as many as 20 per cent of Zika-affected pregnancies will lead to some form of brain damage for the baby.A study in the New England Journal of Medicine also reported 29 per cent of scans showed abnormalities with babies in the wombs of women infected with the virus.It is estimated about 1.5 million people have been infected with Zika in Brazil.https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/world/zika-virus-may-cause-more-forms-brain-damage-unborn-babies Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
niman Posted May 2, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 2, 2016 Zika virus: Risk higher than first thought, say doctorsBy Wyre DaviesBBC News, Rio de Janeiro6 hours ago From the sectionLatin America & CaribbeanJump media playerMedia player help Out of media player. Press enter to return or tab to continue.Media captionExperts say Zika could be behind many other damaging neurological conditionsThe mosquito-borne Zika virus may be even more dangerous than previously thought, scientists in Brazil say.They told the BBC that Zika could be behind more damaging neurological conditions, affecting the babies of up to a fifth of infected pregnant women.Rates of increase in Zika infection in some parts of Brazil have slowed, thanks to better information about preventing the disease.But the search for a vaccine is still in the early stages.And Zika continues to spread across the region.What you need to know: How dangerous is Zika?2.2 billion in 'at risk' Zika areasTravel advice: Countries affected and what you should doMost doctors and medical researchers now agree that there is a link between the Zika virus and microcephaly, where babies are born with abnormally small heads because of restricted brain development.While it is estimated that 1% of women who have had Zika during pregnancy will have a child with microcephaly, leading doctors in Brazil have told the BBC that as many as 20% of Zika-affected pregnancies will result in a range of other forms of brain damage to the baby in the womb.A separate study, reported in the New England Journal of Medicine, said that "29% of scans showed abnormalities in babies in the womb, including growth restrictions, in women infected with Zika"."Our findings are worrisome because 29% of ultrasonograms showed abnormalities, including intrauterine growth restrictions and foetal death, in women with positive Zika infection," the study said.Zika: What are the symptoms?Deaths are rare and only one in five people infected is thought to develop symptoms.These include:mild feverconjunctivitis (red, sore eyes)headachejoint paina rashA rare nervous system disorder, Guillain-Barre syndrome, that can cause temporary paralysis has been linked to the infection.There is no vaccine or drug treatment so patients are advised to rest and drink plenty of fluids.But the biggest concern is the impact it could have on babies developing in the womb.Zika virus: Special reportMany of the conditions that Brazilian doctors are noticing in babies born to mothers who had Zika are not as obvious to the untrained eye as microcephaly.They may not have the same impact on the child's development either but the frequency with which they are occurring is alarming.Doctor Renato Sa is a senior obstetrician who works in both public and private hospitals in Rio de Janeiro.Image captionDr Renato Sa says there is a long list of other conditions affecting babies born to mothers who had Zika"There are cerebral calcifications, an increase in the number of dilation of cerebral ventricles and the destruction or malformation of the posterior part of the brain," he says.In my notebook he makes a list of the conditions that they are now witnessing with increasing regularity; ventriculomegaly, damage of the posterior fossa, craniocynostosis and cerebral calcification.He says that an added concern is that often there is no obvious sign or symptom of the neurological damage until later observations of the child's development, "perhaps convulsions or other tell-tale signs".'Shocked'There is an obvious urgency to understand more about Zika and develop a vaccine.At the Instituto D'Or laboratories in Rio de Janeiro they are using stem-cell technology to create new cells that develop like human brains.Image captionScientists at Instituto D'Or are researching the effects of Zika on brain tissueThey call them "mini brains" and infect them with Zika."What we observed is that the Zika virus is able to kill cells, is able to affect the growth of cells," says Dr Stevens Rehen, the unit's senior neuroscientist.Dr Rehen has noted, as have others, that there is something particularly virulent about the strain of Zika that arrived in Brazil and is presently spreading across the continent."There is something in the Zika virus that makes it more prone to kill neurocells during development. Now we need to search and understand what makes that virus more aggressive to the brain under development."The team was shocked by what it discovered - a huge reduction in growth of the cerebral cortex, the critical outer layer of the brain."The effect of the Zika virus was very impressive," says Dr Patricia Garcez.Image captionDr Patricia Garcez says her team was astonished by the speed of cell death"We were all astonished by the fast effect. We saw cell death in three days, a massive cell death. In six days, the neurospheres were completely gone."In a change to earlier patterns, the areas of greatest infection for Zika are now in the south of the country, particularly in Rio de Janeiro.Among some sectors of society, public information campaigns about the need for using anti-mosquito repellent and taking other precautions appear to be having a positive impact.Dr Sa says that the number of Zika cases among middle-class pregnant women has fallen sharply, as have cases of microcephaly and other related conditions.But he says that the disappointing reality is that such progress is not apparent in the city's many poor working-class neighbourhoods, such as Duque de Caxias in the north of Rio de Janeiro.At the scene in Duque de Caxias neighbourhoodImage captionFabiane Lopes' four-month old daughter Valentina has microcephalyI met Fabiane Lopes, a single mother of four children whose partner abandoned her when he found out the youngest child was going to be born with microcephaly.Given her plight - living in a tiny single-room house and dependant on government welfare - Ms Lopes is stoical.She has to be. Four-month old Valentina needs all the love, attention and therapy she can get."We've seen no anti-Zika campaigns around here," says Ms Lopes, illustrating that government messages about Zika control are not getting through to everyone.She admits never having used anti-mosquito repellent and not being particularly careful about covering up when she was pregnant.Ms Lopez clearly loves her little girl, despite the tough start in life that she has been dealt. Her other children help with the chores that an absent father has abrogated.This is a family and a country is still learning how damaging the Zika virus and its consequences can be.http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-36184799 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now