255 Guillain-Barre Syndrome In Venezuela Zika Cases

[niman]

255 Cases of Zika-linked neurological syndrome in Venezuela

VENEZUELA ZIKA | 29 de Enero de 2016

http://www.laprensasa.com/309_america-in-english/3592360_255-cases-of-zika-linked-neurological-syndrome-in-venezuela.html

Edited January 30, 2016 by niman

[niman]

 

Ampliar

View of larvae and pupae of the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which spreads dengue fever, Chikungunya, and most recently the Zika virus, which has infected 255 people in Venzuela with the Guillain-Barre neurologica syndrome. EFE/File

Caracas, Jan 29 (EFE).- Venezuelan authorities detected 255 cases of Guillain-Barre neurological syndrome, which has been linked to the Zika virus, Health Minister Luisana Melo said Friday.

"As of yesterday we had registered 255 patients with Guillain-Barre syndrome, and 55 of them are in an intensive care unit," she said during an interview on state television.

Up to now some 4,500 people are suspected of having been infected with the Zika virus, according to Melo.

So far, she said, there have been no reports in Venezuela of Zika-infected pregnant women giving birth to children with abnormally small skulls, a condition known as microcephaly.

Melo said the figure of 4,500 is not the total number since, according to authorities' estimates, three out of every four people infected with the virus are asymptomatic and haven't reported the illness, so that the number of cases could be very much greater.

The minister reported the design of "a plan with promotion and prevention activities that will be rolled out across the country, and in which all healthcare workers will take part."

Some 70,000 liters (18,500 gallons) of insecticide will be used to exterminate mosquitoes "in every corner of national territory" in order to prevent the spread of Zika as well as of degue fever and Chikungunya, three diseases transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito.

According to the World Health Organization, or WHO, the Zika virus could increase the possibility of microcephalic babies being born, as well as spreading Guillain-Barre syndrome and other autoimmune diseases.

The current Zika outbreak in northeastern Brazil has been accompanied by a dramatic increase in the number of babies born with microcephaly.

In recent months, the Zika virus has spread with incredible speed from South to North America, and according to estimates of the WHO, could cause between 3 million and 4 million cases of the disease this year.

[niman]

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) - The Latest on the Zika virus and fears it could be linked to birth defects (all times local):

0:20 a.m.

The White House says President Barack Obama and Brazilian President Dilma Rouseff have discussed their concerns about the spread of the Zika virus.

In a telephone conversation Friday, the leaders agreed on the importance of working together to spearhead research and speed development of vaccines and other technologies to control the mosquito-borne virus. They also agreed to prioritize building national, regional and global networks to fight the threat from infectious diseases more broadly.

The Zika virus is spreading rapidly after it was detected last year in Brazil. Investigators are working to figure out whether it's related to seeming increases in the birth defect known as microcephaly or to Guillain-Barre, which can cause temporary paralysis.

In the United States, the head of its infectious disease institute says the U.S. is preparing should the virus spread there.

So far there have been no transmissions of the disease within the United States.

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6:30 p.m.

Colombia and Venezuela says they are both seeing a jump in cases of a rare, sometimes-paralyzing syndrome that may be linked to the Zika virus.

Deputy Health Minister Fernando Ruiz said Friday Colombia has now recorded 41 cases of Guillain-Barre syndrome that appear to be linked to Zika. It had detected 12 such cases a week ago.

Colombia says it's had about 16,500 suspected cases of Zika, though only a small fraction have been confirmed by laboratory tests.

The mosquito-borne virus is spreading rapidly after being detected last year in Brazil. Investigators are scrambling to determine if it's related to seeming increases in the birth defect known as microcephaly or to Guillain-Barre, which can leave patients temporarily paralyzed.

Venezuelan Health Minister Luisana Melo said her country's seen 255 cases of Guillain-Barre, apparently as part of its effort to fight Zika, though she did not specify the link or the time frame.

Former Health Minister Jose Oletta says the country normally sees 30 to 40 cases of Guillain-Barre a month and said the large number now indicates that Zika infections are far greater than the roughly 4,500 suspected cases than officials acknowledge.

6 p.m.

The head of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease says he doesn't think airports need to screen travelers coming into the United States from Latin American and Carribean countries that have outbreaks of the Zika virus.

Dr. Anthony Fauci says that isn't necessary for now because the disease is borne by mosquitoes and is not transmitted from one person to another.

Fauci said at The Economic Club of Washington, D.C. on Friday that the U.S. is taking the virus "very seriously" and is preparing in case it should spread here.

But he says Americans shouldn't "get overly panicked" since there have been no transmissions of the disease within the United States.

The Zika virus causes only a mild illness in most people. But there's mounting evidence linking it to a birth defect, especially in Brazil.

4:55 p.m.

Canada's chief public health officer says four Canadians have recently returned home from trips abroad with the Zika virus.

Gregory Taylor said Friday that two people from British Columbia, one from Alberta and another from Quebec contracted the virus abroad. He says two have recovered and didn't give details on the other two.

Taylor says there is little to no risk of contracting the virus in Canada since mosquitoes that transmit the virus are not adaptable to the climate.

The World Health Organization says Canada and Chile are the only two countries in the Americas where the virus is not likely to spread.

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4:10 p.m.

Thousands of soldiers, health officials and first responders have been fanning out across the Dominican Republic to fumigate and clean up mosquito-prone areas and educate people about the Zika virus.

The campaign aims to tell people about Zika's symptoms, how to avoid it and how to eliminate areas where it breeds.

The Caribbean country has reported 10 confirmed cases, none of them involving pregnant women. But the military said this week it will assign 100 doctors to help in detecting and treating cases.

Health Minister Altagracia Guzman warned on Friday that half a million people in the Dominican Republic could become infected if no preventive measures are taken.

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12:55 p.m.

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff says the federal government has launched a nationwide cleanup operation to eliminate breeding areas of the mosquito that transmits the Zika virus, which researchers in have linked to a rare birth defect.

Rousseff made her remarks at a Friday press conference after she, five state governors and six cabinet members held a videoconference to discuss strategies to combat the Aedes aegypti mosquito.

She says the cleanup operation began Friday at all installations run by the armed forces and at all federal educational, health and other facilities.

She Brazil will lose the war against the insect unless all of society mobilizes to eliminate the pools of stagnant water that serve as the mosquito's breeding grounds.

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12:05 p.m.

Nigeria's Health Ministry is warning citizens against traveling to Latin America because of the Zika virus outbreak, and is especially recommending that pregnant women not go there.

Health Minister Isaac Folorunso Adewole is urging health professionals at all ports of entry to examine anyone coming from Latin America for signs of the Zika virus. Friday's statement says he's urging Nigerians to tell health workers about any cases of unexplained fevers that last more than 48 hours, especially in those with recent travels to Latin America.

While the Zika virus originated in Africa, Adewole says there are no current cases in his country.

Officials from Brazil and international health organizations are trying to determine if a widespread outbreak of the virus there is related to a seemingly sudden upswing in cases of birth defects.

http://www.waow.com/story/31090178/the-latest-paralyzing-illness-grows-in-colombia-venezuela

[niman]

Zika virus infection outbreak, French Polynesia 14 February 2014

As of 7 February 2014, of 746 samples sent for laboratory confirmation, 396 (53.1%) were confirmed by RT-PCR at Institut Louis Malardé. It is estimated that more than 28 000 cases have sought medical care with Zika-like symptoms in French Polynesia since the beginning of the outbreak (around 11.5% of the population of French Polynesia). The clinical presentation of confirmed Zika cases was consistent with the literature: mild fever, rash, non-purulent conjunctivitis, arthralgia, myalgia, headache and distal oedema. None of these mild cases was hospitalised. According to Polynesia Epibulletin, 70 cases presented with neurological or auto-immune complications between November 2013 and 7 February 2014 [48]. Among those, there were 38 cases of Guillain–Barré syndrome (GBS) after the initial ZIKAV infection and 25 had neurological complications (encephalitis, meningo-encephalitis, paraesthesia, facial paralysis and myelitis). Seven cases had other complications: four with immune thrombocytopenic purpura, two were ophthalmologic complications and one had a cardiac complication. Among the GBS cases, 73% were male, the mean age was 45.9 years (range: 27–70), and almost all cases were ethnic Polynesians. Fifteen cases were admitted to the intensive care unit and nine cases required mechanical ventilation. No deaths have been reported. All GBS cases developed neurological symptoms following a disease episode with symptoms compatible with ZIKAV infection in previous days, one of the cases has been laboratoryconfirmed to be Zika by RT-PCR at the initial infection, and other preliminary results show positive IgG against ZIKAV for several cases, after the occurrence of neurological signs [48]. The clustering in time of GBS cases is considered unusual as the annual number of GBS cases in French Polynesia are 5, 10, 3 and 3 in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012, respectively. As of 31 January 2014, five patients remained hospitalised and overall a total of 18 individuals had been admitted to the local rehabilitation centre. The intensive care resources in this insular setting have been under intense stress to cope with patients presenting neurological complications.

http://ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications/Publications/Zika-virus-French-Polynesia-rapid-risk-assessment.pdf