As people age, their immune systems weaken. This can make it harder to fight off illness and infection. It may be more difficult for an older person to recover from Zika than a younger person. It may also make the body more susceptible to other illnesses.

How does the Zika virus affect adults?

Most people infected with the Zika virus have no signs and symptoms. Some people have mild fever, rash and muscle pain. In rare cases, the Zika virus may cause brain or nervous system complications, such as Guillain-Barre syndrome, even in people who never show symptoms of infection.

What age group is most affected by Zika virus?

We found that the 15–29 age range will be at highest risk of infection during the next ZIKV outbreak, increasing the expected number of congenital abnormalities.

What effects does the Zika virus have on humans?

The most common symptoms of Zika are fever, rash, headache, joint pain, red eyes, and muscle pain. Zika is spread mostly by the bite of an infected mosquito. Prevent Zika by avoiding mosquito bites. Zika can cause birth defects and is linked to Guillain-Barré syndrome.

Who is most affected by the Zika virus?

While anyone can contract Zika, pregnant women are the most at risk due to the potential for fetal microcephaly and other neurologic abnormalities. Sexual transmission of this virus can occur. Transmission has been reported from infected men and women to their sexual partners.

What are the long term effects of Zika virus?

Mounting clinical evidence show that ZIKV infection in adult patients may result in encephalitis [18,19,20], encephalomyelitis [18,20], acute myelitis [18,19], chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy [21], and Guillain-Barre syndrome [19,22,23] (Figure 1B).

What body systems are affected by Zika virus?

Zika virus directly infects brain cells and evades immune system detection, study shows. Summary: The mosquito-borne Zika virus linked to microcephaly and other neurological problems in newborns of affected mothers directly infects the brain progenitor cells destined to become neurons, researchers report in a new study

What is the death rate of Zika?

Considering the currently confirmed cases of microcephaly and related deaths associated with Zika virus in Brazil, the estimated case fatality rate is 8.3% (95% confidence interval: 7.2-9.6).

What cultural group is most affected by Zika virus?

Most cases are associated with travel to areas with risk of ZIKV transmission, mainly the Caribbean and Latin America [2].

Is Zika still a concern in 2020?

In 2020, there have been no confirmed Zika virus disease cases reported from U.S. territories. Additionally, a large number of suspect Zika cases from the territories have been tested using molecular testing and none have been positive.

How did Zika affect society?

Although the Zika virus infection has national impact, the affect is disproportionately higher in low socioeconomic groups, as they live in areas with precarious sanitation conditions and irregular access to safe water, which contributes to the proliferation of mosquito-borne diseases along with limited access to

How long does Zika stay in the body?

Zika virus (ZIKV) has been identified in several body fluids of infected individuals. In most cases, it remained detected in blood from few days to 1 week after the onset of symptoms, and can persist longer in urine and in semen.

Can Zika cause congenital abnormalities?

Zika virus infection during pregnancy can lead to congenital Zika syndrome and other birth defects. This webpage describes these outcomes and how healthcare providers can monitor infants for these findings.

How did Zika go away?

Why did Zika disappear? Most experts say the sharp decline in Zika cases is due, at least in part, to herd immunity. When enough people become immune to a virus, whether through vaccination or natural immunity, then that disease can’t easily travel from person to person.