Outbreak of the Zika virus from the perspective of public health.

Public Health Perspective of the Zika Virus
Introduction
Public health encompasses protecting people and improving the well-being and safety of communities by educating individuals, developing and implementing appropriate policies, and conducting research for injury and disease prevention. However, despite the extensive efforts of government agencies and health organizations to safeguard people, some viral outbreaks, such as the Zika virus, are inevitable. Zika virus is a mosquito-borne flavivirus that initially identified in 1947 from monkeys in Uganda. The first human cases of infection occurred in 1952 in Tanzania and Uganda. Zika outbreaks inhabit Asia, the Pacific islands, the United States of America (USA), and Africa between the 1860s and 1980s. This viral infection continues to be a menace into modern times. Other places that have been affected by Zika Virus include the Yap Islands in 2007, Brazil in 2015, and French Polynesia in 2013. To date, roughly 86 territories and nations have reported cases of Zika Virus. The Zika virus poses a significant danger to public health, and this paper will focus on the outbreak of Zika virus from that perspective (Singh et al, 2016).
Symptoms of Zika Virus
The flavivirus transmits by Aedes albopictus and Aedes aegypti species of mosquitoes. The incubation cycle of the Zika virus is between 3-14 days. The symptoms of this disease are mild, and they include headache, fever, joint pain, muscle ache, rash, malaise, and conjunctivitis (WHO, 2018). The majority of people with the virus do not depict any signs. That means these individuals are asymptomatic. Nevertheless, those who do have symptoms, they typically continue for 2 - 7 days. Some countries are considered a high risk of infection compared to other countries. They include Brazil, Tanzania, Uganda, and Puerto Rico. As such, the Zika virus poses an unprecedented problem to public health due to links with a congenital syndrome, which leads to congenital disabilities, such as microcephaly. In particular, microcephaly is an abnormality that causes a baby’s head to be small, which occurs due to incomplete brain development (Ryan et al., 2017). Caribbean countries are disproportionately affected by viruses that are endemic to other regions, such as chikungunya, dengue, and Zika, due to the presence of Aedes mosquitoes. It is advisable for individuals who encounter mild symptoms of the Zika virus to visit hospitals for testing and treatment to prevent further spread of the infection. If infected people fail to get the appropriate treatment, they can pass the disease to others, specifically if they engage in sexual intercourse. Notably, the Zika virus can be transferred through semen, whereby if the female conceives, the baby might develop microcephaly. It is advisable for males in regions affected by the Zika virus to abstain from sex for six months to confirm that they do not carry the flavivirus, hence cannot pass it to unborn babies. 
Zika Virus Transmission, Diagnosis, and Treatment
The most significant trait that makes the Zika virus outbreak a public health issue is that it has no treatment or vaccine. As discussed earlier, individuals with the virus present mild symptoms, such as rash, fever, headache, joint and muscle pain, malaise, and conjunctivitis. They are advised by physicians to rest, administer common, over-the-counter medications to manage fever and pain, and drink fluids. If the symptoms persist or worsen, these individuals are encouraged to seek medical attention. Pregnant females living in areas affected by the Zika virus should seek medical attention so that they can be monitored closely and tested to ascertain that they are not infected, hence passing the virus to their unborn babies. When fetuses become infected with the virus, they develop health problems that affect them for the rest of their lives. Zika virus diagnosis prevails in a laboratory through blood, urine, semen, or body fluids tests (Maharajan et al., 2016). Since symptoms of the disease are mild, it is advisable for people living in areas affected by the virus to seek out testing, particularly if experiencing symptoms of the disease. The primary vector of the Zika virus is mosquitoes from the Aedes genus, which inhabit subtropical and tropical regions (WHO, 2018). Mosquitoes typically bite during the early morning hours or late evening. This type of mosquito is also known to transmit dengue, chikungunya, and yellow fever (WHO, 2018). As well as mosquito transmission, the virus can be transmitted from the expectant mother to her unborn baby during pregnancy, via organ transplant, blood transfusion, or sexual intercourse.
Zika Virus’ Complications
The public should strive to protect themselves from the Zika virus infection to safeguard the well-being of future generations. Pregnant females who might become infected with the virus have a high likelihood of passing the disease to their unborn babies. Females can get the disease from mosquito bites, organ transplants, blood transfusion, or engaging in sexual intercourse with infected people. A Zika infected fetus is more susceptible to acquiring microcephaly or other congenital abnormalities. Congenital Zika syndrome includes severe malformations that include hearing loss, visual abnormalities, limb contractures, and loss of muscle tone (WHO, 2018). Approximately 5% to 15% of Zika infected babies present with complications related to the disease. Pregnant women with the Zika virus are likely to encounter complications such as preterm birth, stillbirth, and miscarriage. The virus also triggers myelitis, Guillain-Barre syndrome, and neuropathy (WHO, 2018). From the perspective of public health, the failure to prevent the transmission of Zika virus puts individuals at risk. For instance, if infected babies get malformations, such as the loss of hearing, it means that such children will grow with difficulties when it comes to interacting with others. Their social lives are affected adversely, which is something they might have to live with for the rest of their lives. Besides, it is clear that babies learn many things by observing and repeating what they see others around them doing. Therefore, preventing the transmission of Zika virus entails safeguarding the well-being of upcoming generations and raising healthy children.
Global Public Health Threat
Phillipe Boeuf et al. (2016) assert that mosquito-borne flavivirus is a significant threat to public health worldwide. Recently, significant outbreaks of the disease in South and Central America and the Pacific islands are associated with the rising incidences of congenital abnormalities, such as microcephaly, which affect the central nervous system of infants. At this juncture, we must accept that the Zika virus is a significant health issue that can negatively impact future generations. Indeed, over 2 billion individuals reside in places that are conducive to the transmission of the Zika virus. In 2016, the USA's prediction of Zika infections was approximately 4 million people (Boeuf et al., 2016). Given the massive scale of Zika virus infections in the world and its long-term effects, the consequences of the disease on affected communities and health services is significant. For instance, if the number of infected pregnant women continues to rise, it means that many children will be born with congenital abnormalities and malformations. As such, the health of future generations will be affected adversely. Consequently, there is a need to come up with a global research response and public health strategy to diffuse the spread of the Zika virus and its adverse consequences by developing vaccines, improving diagnostics, and developing proper therapeutics.
In 2015, the World Health Organization (WHO) stated that the Zika virus is a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (Shrivastava, Shrivastava, & Ramasamy, 2016). The subsequent outbreaks of the disease in the Pacific, Brazil, Africa, Asia, and South and Central America made WHO place it in a similar priority list with the Ebola virus. Increased research has made it clear that the Zika virus is a significant contributor to neurological abnormalities, such as microcephaly and Guillain-Barre syndrome, to children. The Zika virus continues to be a significant public health concern. Notably, 80% of the infected patients are usually asymptomatic, while 20% show mild symptoms. Specifically, microcephaly is a health condition linked to intellectual impairment, severe developmental delay, and other malformations. This health condition is something that should be prevented at all costs if it results from infections, such as the Zika virus, and not genetic causes. Approximately 33% of unborn babies with microcephaly experience moderate to severe impairment intellectually.
For this reason, it means that such children encounter difficulties in learning and socializing with others of the same age group. The Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM) explains that congenital syndrome caused by the Zika virus links to various cerebral malf...