Kenya at Risk of Being Affected with Zika Virus

Kenya is at risk of being affected with the fast spreading Zika Virus after it was confirmed that the Aedes Mosquito, the daytime active specie that harbors the virus is in the country.

The outbreak of the virus has been widely reported in Brazil with more than one million people, mostly women having been confirmed infected. This has led to the Brazilian authorities to call upon the women planning to get pregnant to first postpone their plans to avoid the effects of the virus that have caused babies being born with heads that are smaller than normal.

The most common symptom of Zika virus disease are fever, rash, joint pain as well as conjunctivitis (red eyes). According to medical experts, the symptoms are often mild leading to people ignoring them as just common illness and they can last from several days to weeks.

Already the virus has been identified in 20 other countries as well as territories especially in the South and Central America and the Caribbean, including Colombia, El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Venezuela, Mexico and Puerto Rico.

Something to note is that the first time this virus was discovered was in 1947 in the Zika Forest in Uganda but it has never been taken as a threat to human life until the recent outbreak in Brazil.

According to a researcher from KEMRI, Kenya, just like any other country in the world is at risk of being affected with Zika virus putting in mind that the virus is spread via a mosquito. The researcher said that there is need for the government to take necessary measures so as to tackle any case that might be reported. He said the best remedy is for the people to made aware of the dangers posed by the virus and to do away with stagnant water in their areas of residence as a way of reducing mosquitoes.

Article by Juma Fred.