The
Zika virus has been noted as a concern to all people, especially people in
Africa and Asia, although it has recently become prevalent in the Western
Hemisphere where an outbreak occurred in Brazil.
The
Gambia though is safe, as there has not been any case of Zika virus in the
country, according to the country’s health promotion director.
The
health department has also been vigilant and “has already leveled the ground in
case of any unexpected case,” the health director said in a recent report
concerning the Zika virus.
He
actually called on all and sundry to take all necessary measures against Zika
and other viral illnesses.
The
concern raised as regards preventive and cautionary measures should be heeded
and observed by all in this country, to always be on the safe side.
The
recent outbreak of Zika started in May in Brazil, South America, but has spread
to other areas such as North America with a recently reported case in the US.
So
it is essential to note that diseases have no boundary as long as human beings
continue to move from one place or country to another.
What
really can be prevented from bringing about the spread of diseases is unhealthy
environment, which serves as a breeding ground for parasites like mosquitoes
and other pathogens, as well as lifestyle relating to substance abuse and
promiscuity.
These
preventive measures, we must add, are not a panacea to the spread or
contracting of the disease, but as much as they are observed the incidence of
widespread viral diseases such as ZIKA can be substantively curtailed in any
society or nation.
However,
as health experts say, where an infection has occurred there could still be a
way out, if prompt and regular body checks are done.
In
the case of the ZIKA virus, it is said that the illness is usually mild with
symptoms lasting for several days to a week after being bitten by an infected mosquito.
ZIKA
is a disease that spreads to people primarily through the bite of an infected
Aedes species mosquito. It can also be transformed through sex by an infected
person.
“Although
it was discovered at the ZIKA forest in Uganda in 1947 and is common in Africa
and Asia, it did not begin spreading widely in the Western Hemisphere till last
May, when an outbreak occurred in Brazil.”
So,
as advised by our health directors, we must always take necessary precautions
to keep illnesses such as Zika away from our territory.
“It
is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.”
Mahatma
Gandhi
