Zika Virus Likely Causes Paralysis

New research findings indicate that the Zika virus may lead to paralysis in humans. This virus was reported two years ago in Tahiti and is currently spreading at an alarming rate across the Americas. The Associated Press reports that blood tests from 42 adults in Tahiti, France, and other locations that experienced a type of acute neuromuscular failure known as 'Guillain-Barré' in 2013 and 2014 show that all these individuals had some signs of past Zika virus infection. This condition causes paralysis in some patients. The results of this research have been published in the journal 'Lancet'. It is said that the Zika virus causes babies to be born with small heads and brain defects, referred to as microcephaly, but the connection between the Zika virus and this condition has not yet been established. Peter Barlow, an infectious disease expert at Napier University in Edinburgh, states that evidence linking the Zika virus to Guillain-Barré syndrome is currently being completed, but further research is needed in the Americas to reach similar conclusions as the tests in Tahiti, as local factors may also play a role in the mentioned condition. Zika is transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected mosquito, and its common symptoms include fever, muscle pain, and skin rash. The report adds that 80% of those who experience these symptoms do not report their illness. The Zika virus does not cause death, but it is said that infected women give birth to babies with small heads. Guillain-Barré syndrome also causes muscle weakness and respiratory problems, with a 5% mortality rate among those affected. However, none of the patients tested in Tahiti died, and 40% of those discharged from the hospital were able to walk unaided after three months. Scientists estimate that 24 out of every 100,000 individuals infected with the Zika virus will develop Guillain-Barré syndrome. In Europe and North America, among every 100,000 people infected with 'dengue fever' and influenza, one or two will develop Guillain-Barré syndrome. David Smith from Curtin University in Australia, who participated in the research and the article published in the Lancet, states that it is really difficult to say exactly what proportion of Guillain-Barré syndrome cases are caused by Zika. Research has also yet to reach a definitive conclusion regarding the connection between Zika and the birth of babies with small brains in Brazil. Currently, 40 countries around the world are facing the Zika virus issue, with eight of them reporting a potential link between this virus and Guillain-Barré syndrome.