Check out 10 things to know about the disease.

1. HISTORY

The virus was first seen in humans in 1952 in Uganda and Tanzania. Outbreaks have been seen around the globe: in Africa, the Americas, Asia and the Pacific.

2. CAUSE

Zika virus disease is caused by a virus that is transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes.

3.SYMPTOMS

Symptoms of the disease include mild headaches, maculopapular rash, fever, malaise, conjunctivitis, and arthralgia.

4. PROGRESSION

The disease shows symptoms within 2 to 7 days of exposure. A small percentage of those people can develop complications from the virus.

5. COUNTRIES AFFECTED

According to the Pan American Health Organization, the number of countries that have reported transmission of the disease has doubled from Dec. 1, 2015 to Jan. 17, 2016. Countries that have confirmed cases of the disease are Brazil, Barbados, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Saint Martin, Suriname, and Venezuela.

6. PREVENTION

The best way to prevent the disease is to limit mosquito to human contact.  This means eliminating the mosquitoes where they live and breed.
7. LIMIT CONTACT

Other ways to limit mosquito to human contact is through the use of insect repellent, sleeping under mosquito netting, and closing doors and windows or using screens in the windows.

8. BREEDING

Mosquitoes breed in water so it is very important to remove or cover buckets of water or anywhere else there might be standing water.

9. VACCINE STATUS

Currently, this is no treatment or vaccine for the disease.

10. PRENATAL CARE

Pregnant women have the same risk as the rest of the population of being infected with Zika virus, which is transmitted by the bite of infected Aedes mosquitoes. Many women may remain unaware they have the virus, as they may not develop any symptoms. Only one in four people infected with Zika develops symptoms, and in those with symptoms, the illness is usually mild.

The post 10 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE ZIKA VIRUS appeared first on PURE ENTERTAINMENT.

Lassa Fever is an acute febrile illness with bleeding and death in severe cases, caused by the Lassa Fever virus with an incubation period of 6 to 21 days.

About 80 per cent of human infections are asymptomatic, the remaining cases have severe multi-system disease, where the virus   affects   several   organs in the   body, such as the   liver, spleen and kidneys.

The onset of the disease is usually gradual, starting with fever, general weakness, and malaise followed by headache, sore throat, muscle pain, chest pain, nausea, vomiting,   diarrhoea, cough, and   bleeding   from   mouth,   nose,   vagina   or gastro-intestinal tract, and low blood pressure.
The reservoir or host of the Lassa virus is the “multi-mammate rat” called Mastomys natalensis.

Prevention:
It is important to promote good hygiene. Here are some more measures to keep in place:

·         Avoid contact between rats and human beings;

·         Keep your house and Environment clean

·         Cover all foods and water properly.

·         Cook all foods thoroughly

·         Store foodstuffs in rodent proof containers

·         Block all rat hideouts

·         If you suspect that rat has eaten any food, discard it

·         Family members should always be careful to avoid contact with blood and body fluids while caring for sick persons.

·         Disposing of garbage far from the home, maintaining clean households

·         Effective measures include storing grain and other foodstuffs in rodent-proof containers.

The post Tips on staying safe during this Lassa fever outbreak appeared first on PURE ENTERTAINMENT.