2023-08-11 20:07:00
A study recently published in the journal Viruses reported the first confirmed case of infection with the virus Zika (ZIKV) one Guinea.
The authors performed a systematic search for Zika virus by RT-PCR on samples taken from 156 febrile patients admitted to Faranah Hospital between May 2018 and February 2019. A sample taken on August 29, 2018 from a 27-year-old pregnant woman (at the 16th week of gestation) who lived in Dandaya district, prefecture of Faranah, turned out to be positive. The symptoms of the disease had started 5 to 6 days before the collection. The search for IgM type antibodies directed against the Zika virus was positive on the same sample, the search for IgG type antibodies being negative. On September 13, a new blood test was taken and showed positive PCR results for ZIKV, negative serology for IgM antibodies and seroconversion of ZIKV-specific IgG antibodies.
In addition, the authors searched for the presence of ZIKV-specific IgM in 116 samples taken from patients presenting to Faranah hospital with fever. The prevalence of anti-ZIKV IgM varied between 5.6% and 17.1% depending on the season, with an average prevalence of 14.7%.
Reminders about the Zika virus:
Zika virus is an arbovirus member of the Flaviviridae family and genus Flavivirus, responsible for Zika fever. Transmitted by the bite of an infected mosquito (Aedes aegypti, Aedes albopictus, Anopheles, Mansonia or Eretmapodites), it can cause a syndrome similar to other arboviruses, with fever, rash, headache and joint pain, which resolves spontaneously.
Most forms are asymptomatic. The symptomatic forms are manifested by a maculopapular exanthema with or without fever and at least two of the following signs: conjunctival hyperaemia, arthralgia or myalgia, in the absence of another etiology.
The infection, typically benign, is the cause of a certain number of severe neurological complications (meningitis, encephalitis) and Guillain-Barré syndrome. During the first trimester of pregnancy, infection may be accompanied by a risk of congenital malformations such as microcephaly (0.65% of cases).
For pregnant women or women wishing to become pregnant residing in areas infected by the virus, strict compliance with individual protection measures and good practices relating to the use of insecticides and repellents must be recalled.
In this context, it is recommended that pregnant women or women wishing to become pregnant living in areas free of the Zika virus and who are going to areas where the Zika virus is rife consider postponing their travel plans. Otherwise, all the recommendations and information for prevention and follow-up must be given to them.
It is recommended that anyone living or traveling in areas with Zika virus circulation take precautions to avoid mosquito bites:
destroy larvae and potential mosquito breeding sites around and in the habitat (containers containing stagnant water, etc.); wear covering clothing; mosquito repellents, containing DEET, on uncovered skin; mosquito net impregnated with repellent for naps and at night; people who use sunscreen should apply the repellent 20 minutes after sunscreen.
In order to avoid the dissemination of the Zika virus as much as possible, in the face of a sudden onset of fever and joint or muscle pain within 15 days of returning to Europe from a stay in an intertropical zone, you must consult your doctor at faster by signaling his trip
Source : Viruses
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