China’s Zika patient recovers, researchers learn more about virus
Authorities in China's Jiangxi Province say the country's first Zika virus patient is now recovering, with a normal body temperature and a fading rash, as more details about the virus emerge from experts around the world.
China’s Zika patient recovers, researchers learn more about virus
The 34-year-old man, who has remained unidentified, had traveled to Venezuela before returning home last week. No one who had close contact with the patient have shown any symptoms the virus, and experts say he could be released from the hospital in a matter of days.
While that may be good news for the man, experts are continuing to look into the potential severity of the disease. The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday that the suspected link between the Zika virus and two neurological disorders, the birth defect microcephaly and Guillain-Barre syndrome, could be confirmed within weeks.
While that may be good news for the man, experts are continuing to look into the potential severity of the disease. The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday that the suspected link between the Zika virus and two neurological disorders, the birth defect microcephaly and Guillain-Barre syndrome, could be confirmed within weeks.
China’s Zika patient recovers, researchers learn more about virus
According to a Reuters report, the sharp increase in microcephaly cases in Brazil has triggered a global health emergency over the mosquito-borne virus, which had previously been viewed as causing only a relatively mild illness, and spurred a race to develop a vaccine, medicines and better diagnostic tests.
US experts have also stated on Friday the Zika virus may be particularly adept at entrenching itself in parts of the body that are shielded from the immune system, making it harder to fight off and possibly lengthening the timeframe in which it can be transmitted. Researchers reported that Zika virus can be detected in semen for 62 days after a person is infected, adding to evidence of the virus's presence in fetal brain tissue, placenta and amniotic fluid.
US experts have also stated on Friday the Zika virus may be particularly adept at entrenching itself in parts of the body that are shielded from the immune system, making it harder to fight off and possibly lengthening the timeframe in which it can be transmitted. Researchers reported that Zika virus can be detected in semen for 62 days after a person is infected, adding to evidence of the virus's presence in fetal brain tissue, placenta and amniotic fluid.
China’s Zika patient recovers, researchers learn more about virus
"Right now, we know it's in the blood for a very limited period of time, measured in a week to at most 10 days. We know now, as we accumulate experience, it can be seen in the seminal fluid. We're not exactly sure after the infection clears, [or] where else it would be," Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said.
US health officials advise that men who come to the country from Zika outbreak areas should consider using condoms even with non-pregnant sex partners because the virus may persist in semen even after it clears the bloodstream. "They don't say for how long," said Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville. "That's because they don't know. As it was with Ebola, we're learning as we go."
The WHO said U.S. government scientists and an Indian biotechnology firm were the front-runners in the vaccine effort but said it would take at least 18 months to start large-scale clinical trials of potential preventative shots. The UN health agency also for the first time advised pregnant women to
consider delaying travel to Zika-affected areas.
US health officials advise that men who come to the country from Zika outbreak areas should consider using condoms even with non-pregnant sex partners because the virus may persist in semen even after it clears the bloodstream. "They don't say for how long," said Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville. "That's because they don't know. As it was with Ebola, we're learning as we go."
The WHO said U.S. government scientists and an Indian biotechnology firm were the front-runners in the vaccine effort but said it would take at least 18 months to start large-scale clinical trials of potential preventative shots. The UN health agency also for the first time advised pregnant women to
consider delaying travel to Zika-affected areas.
