Zika Outbreak (common need to know)

Vaccinating against dengue may increase Zika outbreaks

What is the infection/disease (causative agent) described in the article?

The infectious disease described in the article is the dengue fever vaccine that could increase the outbreak of the Zika virus.

Describe how it is spread (MODE of Transmission).

This is spread by one vaccine possibly lowering the effectiveness of another vaccine. There are recent studies that show that the dengue virus antibodies can enhance the Zika virus infection.

The mode of transmission is through a weak immune system when a mosquito native to the tropics bites a host body.

Describe how the infection/disease affects humans. List the signs and symptoms of the infection/disease.

This disease affects humans by biting and causing severe illness and may even cause death to someone.

Symptoms: High Fever, Aches and pains across the body, nausea and vomiting, skin rash, loss of appetite, headache, and in really severe cases bloody gums and nose and blood in stool.

Describe what population is most at risk (susceptible host) and why.

The population that is most at risk is people in Asian and latin American countries. This disease causes the severe sickness and even death in many suspecting hosts like children in these countries.

Discuss the public health impact including preventative measures.

The public health impact that is being done to prevent this is the dengue vaccinations. Researchers are doing work to optimize the dengue vaccination program and to lessen the risk of the Zika virus outbreak.

Information from: York University

Published: October 31, 2016