scholarly journals ZIKA VIRUS: REVIEW OF CURRENT STATUS

Author(s):  
Koppala Rvs Chaitanya ◽  
Venna R Surya Anusha

Zika virus (ZIKV) is a mosquito-borne virus which startled the world with its tremendous outbreaks in Africa, America, Asia, and Pacific region. Although the symptoms are mild such as fever and headache, its complications are severe in newborn: Guillain-Barre Syndrome and congenital Zika syndrome including microcephaly. Its ability to transmit through vector and non-vector means especially vertical transmission made it a potential threat. The World Health Organization with the support of other organizations implemented several programs to eradicate the spread of the virus. Development of a vaccine for ZIKV is still under clinical trials. An anti-hepatitis C drug was repurposed for treating infected persons especially pregnant women to limit vertical transmission of ZIKV. This review focuses on the historical background, structure, phylogeny, transmission, symptoms, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of ZIKV along with strategies planned for control and monitoring of ZIKV.

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kush K. Maheshwari ◽  
Debasish Bandyopadhyay

Background: Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) affect a huge population of the world and majority of the victims belong to the poor community of the developing countries. Until now, the World Health Organization (WHO) has identified 20 tropical diseases as NTDs that must be addressed with high priority. However, many heterocyclic scaffolds have demonstrated potent therapeutic activity against several NTDs. Objective: There are three major objectives: (1) To discuss the causes, symptoms, and current status of all the 20 NTDs; (2) To explore the available heterocyclic drugs, and their mechanism of actions (if known) that are being used to treat NTDs; (3) To develop general awareness on NTDs among the medicinal/health research community and beyond. Methods: The 20 NTDs have been discussed according to their alphabetic orders along with the possible heterocyclic remedies. Current status of treatment with an emphasis on the heterocyclic drugs (commercially available and investigational) has been outlined. In addition, brief discussion of the impacts of NTDs on socio-economic condition is included. Results: NTDs are often difficult to diagnose and the problem is worsened by the unhealthy hygiene, improper awareness, and inadequate healthcare in the developing countries where these diseases primarily affect poor people. The statistics include duration of suffering, numbers affected, and access to healthcare and medication. The mechanism of actions of various heterocyclic drugs, if reported, have been briefly summarized. Conclusion: Scientists and pharmaceutical corporations should allocate more resources to reveal the in-depth mechanism of actions of many heterocyclic drugs that are currently being used for the treatment of NTDs. Analysis of current heterocyclic compounds and development of new medications can help in the fight to reduce/remove the devastating effects of NTDs. An opinion-based concise review has been presented. Based on available literature, this is the first effect to present all the 20 NTDs and related heterocyclic compounds under the same umbrella.


2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iara Fabricia Kretzer ◽  
Andrea do Livramento ◽  
Joel da Cunha ◽  
Sabrina Gonçalves ◽  
Iraci Tosin ◽  
...  

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is endemic worldwide and according to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are about 150 million chronic carriers worldwide. The infection is a leading cause of liver diseases like cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC); thus, HCV infection constitutes a critical public health problem. There are increasing efforts worldwide in order to reduce the global impact of hepatitis C through the implementation of programmatic actions that may increase the awareness of viral hepatitis and also improve surveillance, prevention, and treatment. In Brazil, about 1,5 million people have been chronically infected with HCV. The country has a vast territory with uneven population density, and hepatitis C incidence rates are variable with the majority of cases concentrated in the most populated areas. Currently, the main priorities of Brazilian Ministry of Health's strategies for viral hepatitis management include the prevention and early diagnosis of viral hepatitis infections; strengthening of the healthcare network and lines of treatment for sexually transmitted diseases, viral hepatitis, and AIDS; improvement and development of surveillance, information, and research; and promotion of universal access to medication. This review aims to summarize the available data on hepatitis C epidemiology and current status of efforts in prevention and infection control around the world and in Brazil.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Paula Figueiredo de Montalvão França ◽  
Danielly do Vale Pereira ◽  
Elaine Valéria Rodrigues ◽  
Flávia Nunes Vieira ◽  
Karine Santos Machado ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: The new betacoronavirus known as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the cause of COVID-19, and has spread rapidly around the world, reaching more than 200 countries, around 7 million people and causing more than 400.000 deaths according to the World Health Organization. Case presentation: A 26-year-old female at 28 weeks of gestation with regular prenatal care, a heart disease condition and no previous history of recent national or international traveling presented to a cardiology hospital, in Northern Brazil, with dry cough, sustained/continuous high fever, which quickly evolved to respiratory failure. Once stabilized an emergency cesarean was performed to preserve the fetus life. After surgery both patient and newborn were in Intensive Care Unit, then both patient and newborn nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal secretion were obtained to test for respiratory viral infections, such as SARS-CoV-2, also blood samples were collected for laboratory exams. The patient’s tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 however her newborn SARS-CoV-2. And during treatment due patient’s conditions and severity the case evolved to death.Conclusion: This report highlights the relevance of comorbidities for the unfavorable clinical course of COVID-19, despite the adequate treatment used for patients affected by COVID-19, especially among the risk groups, as well as demonstrating the absence of vertical transmission of SARS-CoV-2.


2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 97
Author(s):  
Kenneth H. Eckels ◽  
Rafael A. De La Barrera ◽  
Joseph Robert Putnak

In February of 2016, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared Zika virus (ZIKV) a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. This prompted a rapid response from both the private and public sector resulting in the generation of several promising vaccine candidates. In this review, we discuss published scientific efforts associated with these novel vaccines, emphasizing the immunological assays used to evaluate their immunogenicity and efficacy, and support future licensure.


2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 224-227
Author(s):  
Rabia Aftab

The Zika virus (ZIKV), first discovered in 1947, has emerged as a global public health threat over the last decade, with an accelerated geographic spread of the virus occurring in the last 5 years. The World Health Organization (WHO) predicts that millions of cases of ZIKV are likely to occur in the Americas between 2016 and 2017. These projections, in conjunction with an increase in newborn microcephaly cases that are suspected to be ZIKV-associated, prompted the WHO to declare a public health emergency of international concern in February 2016. With the current media attention, it is likely that GPs will be consulted on th topic, particularly by pregnant women.


2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 707-712 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelly G. Vest

AbstractSince February 2015, Zika virus has spread throughout the Western Hemisphere, starting in Brazil. As of March 2016, autochthonous transmission has been reported in at least 31 countries or territories. For countries in the Americas, the spread of Zika virus, a previously unfamiliar disease, follows similar emerging infection introductions of West Nile virus and Chikungunya virus and their spread throughout the American continents and the Caribbean nations. The Pan American Health Organization and the World Health Organization have issued alerts and a Public Health Emergency of International Concern announcement related to the recent cluster of microcephaly cases and other neurological disorders in Brazil that are temporally associated with Zika virus, which highlights the possible adverse impact of viral infection. This article provides an overview of the Zika virus infection and presents the historical background of the virus, a description of the pathogen, the epidemiology and clinical spectrum of Zika virus infection, diagnosis and treatment approaches, and prevention and control measures. Understanding what is known about the virus and its clinical presentation will assist in prevention, detection, and response measures to reduce and control the spread of the virus throughout the Western Hemisphere. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2016;page 1 of 6)


2018 ◽  
Vol 99 (3) ◽  
pp. 780-782 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew J. Ward ◽  
Jackeline Alger ◽  
Mabel Berrueta ◽  
Harry Bock ◽  
Pierre Buekens ◽  
...  

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