- Understand why Zika can be serious
- 1. Microcephaly
- 2. Guillain-Barré syndrome
- 3. Lupus
- How to protect yourself from Zika
- Kiss on the mouth transmits Zika?
Although Zika is a disease that generates milder symptoms than dengue and with rapid recovery, Zika virus infection can cause some complications such as the development of microcephaly in babies, and others such as Guillain-Barré Syndrome, which is a neurological disease, and the increased severity of Lupus, an autoimmune disease.
However, although Zika is related to very serious illnesses, most people have no complications after being infected with the Zika virus (ZIKAV).
Understand why Zika can be serious
The Zika virus can be serious because this virus is not always eliminated from the body after contamination, and so it can affect the immune system causing diseases that can arise weeks or months after infection. The main diseases related to Zika are:
1. Microcephaly
It is believed that microcephaly can happen due to a change in the immune system that causes the virus to cross the placenta and reach the baby causing this brain malformation. For this reason, pregnant women who have had Zika at any stage of pregnancy, may have babies with microcephaly, a condition that prevents babies' brain growth, making them seriously ill. See more about microcephaly.
Usually microcephaly is more severe when the woman was infected in the first trimester of pregnancy, but having Zika at any stage of pregnancy can lead to this malformation in the baby, and women who are infected at the end of pregnancy, have a baby with less brain complications.
See in a simple way what is microcephaly and how to take care of a baby with this problem by watching the following video:
2. Guillain-Barré syndrome
Guillain-Barré Syndrome can happen because after infection with the virus, the immune system deceives itself and begins to attack healthy cells in the body. In this case, the cells affected are those of the nervous system, which no longer have the myelin sheath, which is the main characteristic of Guillain-Barré.
Thus, months after Zika virus symptoms subside and are controlled, a tingling sensation may appear in some areas of the body and weakness in the arms and legs, which indicate Guillain-Barre Syndrome. Know how to identify the symptoms of Guillain-Barré Syndrome.
In case of suspicion, you should go to the doctor quickly to prevent the progression of the disease, which can even cause paralysis of the muscles of the body and also of the breathing, being potentially fatal.
3. Lupus
Although it apparently does not cause Lupus, the death of a patient diagnosed with Lupus has been recorded for several years after infection with the Zika virus. Therefore, although it is not known exactly what is the connection between this disease and lupus, what is known is that lupus is an autoimmune disease, where the defense cells attack the body itself, and there is a suspicion that the The infection caused by the mosquito can further weaken the organism and is potentially fatal.
Thus, all people who are diagnosed with Lupus or any other disease that affects the immune system, such as during the treatment of AIDS and cancer must take extra care to protect themselves and not get Zika.
There is also a suspicion that the Zika virus may be transmitted through blood, during labor and also through breast milk and intercourse without a condom, but these forms of transmission have not yet been proven and appear to be rare. The bite of the Aedes Aegypti mosquito remains the main cause of Zika.
See the following video on how to eat to recover from Zika faster:
How to protect yourself from Zika
The best way to avoid Zika and the diseases it can cause is to avoid the mosquito bite, fighting its proliferation and adopting measures such as using repellent, mainly, because this way it is possible to avoid the mosquito bite Aedes aegypti, responsible for Zika and other diseases.
Kiss on the mouth transmits Zika?
Despite the evidence of the presence of the Zika virus in the saliva of people infected with this disease, it is still unknown whether it is possible to pass Zika from one person to another through contact with saliva, through kisses and the use of the same glass, plate or cutlery, although that possibility exists.
Fiocruz has also managed to identify the Zika virus in the urine of infected people, but it is also not confirmed that this is a form of transmission. What is confirmed is that the Zika virus can be found in the saliva and urine of people infected with the disease, but apparently, it can only be transmitted:
- Through the bites of the Aedes Aegypti mosquito ; Through sex without a condom and from mother to child during pregnancy.
It is believed that the virus is not able to survive inside the digestive tract and therefore even if a healthy person kisses someone who is infected with Zika, the virus can enter the mouth, but when it reaches the stomach, the acidity of this place is sufficient to eliminate the virus, preventing the onset of Zika.
However, to prevent it, it is advisable to avoid close contact with people who have Zika and also to avoid kissing unknown people, because it is not known whether they are sick or not.
