The Zika outbreak in Brazil couldn’t have come at a worse time. The virus scared many away from participating in and attending the games in Rio this year.

Where are these concerns coming from? Where did this disease come from? And, what do we have to be worried about?

What are the symptoms of Zika?

• Fever
• Rash
• Joint pain
• Conjunctivitis
• Muscle pain
• Headache

According to the Centers for Disease Control, “Zika is usually mild with symptoms lasting for several days to a week. People usually don’t get sick enough to go to the hospital, and they very rarely die of Zika. For this reason, many people might not realize they have been infected.”

Zika is a mosquito-born illness, similar especially to diseases like dengue fever and chikungunya.

The Aedes mosquito is the main vector for the virus. But, Zika can also spread through sexual interaction, blood transfusions, and mother-to-fetus connection.

Where Did Zika Come From?

The honest answer? Nobody really knows.

The Zika virus was named after the Ziika forest in Uganda, where scientists first (accidentally) identified the virus in 1947. The scientists were looking for yellow fever in rhesus monkeys. What they found was Zika. While first identified in 1947, the virus existed in many forests all over East and West Africa and Asia years before that.

No one knows where the virus itself came from – where the rhesus monkey caught it.

In 1952, scientists discovered the first human Zika cases in Uganda and Tanzania. The virus remained in these regions for 60 years after the initial discovery.

But, in 2007, a Zika oubreak occurred on the island of Yap, part of Micronesia in the Pacific Ocean. It was the first outbreak outside of Africa and Asia.

The Yap outbreak was bigger than most others – it presented a looming question. How did the virus get all the way over there?

How Did Zika Get To the Americas?

Between 2007 and 2015, the virus spread throughout various islands in the Pacific. These new outbreaks and raised new concerns, specifically microcephaly. Associated with Zika infection, this birth defect causes smaller than normal head size and other symptoms. Many researchers saw a connection between Zika and microcephaly, but had little definitive proof.

In 2015, outbreaks of a mysterious rash-causing illness began spreading through northeast Brazil. These reports soon moved throughout other parts of the country. Doctors tested for illnesses like dengue and measles before finally testing for Zika. Results came back positive.

During this time, researchers had a clearer connection between Zika and microcephaly. Other birth defects and symptoms are now connected with the disease. This includes Guillain-Barre syndrome and arthrogryposis.

While not very dangerous for most people, these discoveries showed fetuses are at risk. If a pregnant woman become infected, serious birth defects could occur.

Where Can we Go from Here?

Zika virus has been labeled a “public health emergency of international concern” by the World Health Organization. Its rapid spread, link to serious neurological conditions and other factors make Zika a serious concern.

Public health agencies recommend we take extra precautions to avoid Zika including:

• Preventing mosquito bites- Use CDC-approved insect repellents while traveling in affected areas.
• Practice safe sex- Be sure to use a condom to avoid sexually-transmitted Zika.
• Protecting others- If you think you may have contracted Zika, avoid areas where mosquitoes are present to help stop the virus from spreading.

Have you traveled to a country recently that’s got a history with Zika virus? Learn more about the Zika virus here.

Do you need to make an appointment with a Passport Health Specialist for other travel vaccinations? Schedule your appointment today by calling or booking online now.

Do you have questions about the origins of Zika? What are you tips for avoiding the virus? Let us know on Facebook or via Twitter!

Written for Passport Health by Adrienne St. Clair

The Zika virus has been a hotbutton topic throughout the year. With the virus raging in Puerto Rico and reaching the United States, many are worried. One question still remains, does catching the Zika virus also provide immunity? Or can you get it twice?

Can I Get Zika Twice?

According to early research, fighting off the infection provides immunity. How long this immunity lasts is still under investigation.

It’s scary enough to get Zika once. But, the prospect of becoming re-infected is terrifying. Especially when considering the impact the virus can have on unborn babies.

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison are testing this immunity. By observing how Zika affects macaque monkeys, they hope to better understand the virus.

Monkeys infected with Zika were disease-free after 14 days. They remained free even after being re-infected with a different strain 10 weeks later. This could mean that immunity develops after encountering the disease for the first time. Like humans develop an immunity to varicella following a case of chicken pox.

But, researchers did observe an extended duration of infection in pregnant macaques. There is no pattern for the length of the disease in pregnant macaques. They are the only group that had longer than average infections.

This has raised the question of whether the fetus can reintroduce the virus to the mother. It would explain why infection extends in pregnant macaques, and ends with the pregnancy.

Could Fetuses Spread the Virus?

A recent case report detailed this scenario playing out in a 33-year-old Finnish woman. The doctors saw the disease duration extend, and then end with the pregnancy.

Researchers are seeing if a mother can receive Zika if the only source is an infected fetus. This may provide some more evidence about whether the disease can be spread back from fetus to mother.

At this point, these are just observations in a preliminary study. While these discoveries are meaningful, they are not concrete findings. The sample sizes have been small, and the results have not been reliably repeated.

How Can I Stay Zika-free?

Preventing Zika infection can be tricky. The CDC and WHO recommend the following precautions:

Pack a strong mosquito repellent. Consider traveling with permethrin-treated mosquito nets or clothing.

Loose, long-sleeved shirts and pants provide great protection at night when mosquitoes are active.

Zika can be sexually transmitted, be sure to use condoms if there is a potential for Zika infection.

If you are of child-bearing age and might become pregnant, avoid travel to affected countries.

You can become infected with Zika at any point in your pregnancy. Avoid travel to all Zika-infected countries and areas.

If you feel that you may have become infected while traveling, seek medical attention. Take all necessary precautions when interacting with loved ones. Preventative measures are the most effective as there is no treatment for Zika.

Traveling to a Zika country? Speak with a travel health specialist before you leave. Schedule an appointment by calling or booking online!

Have you traveled to a Zika country? What was your experience and how did you protect yourself? Share it with us on Facebook or Twitter!

It would be fairly safe to assume that if given a mauve bridesmaid’s dress or mauve curtains, most modern women would be less than enthusiastic. For years, the color mauve’s reputation has been far from fashion-forward, maybe even backward? But this wasn’t always the case.

Mauve enjoyed time in the limelight during the 19th century when the first synthetic dye mauveine, later nicknamed “mauve,” was accidentally and serendipitously discovered during the search for a malaria cure.

Malaria 101

Malaria is a serious, potentially fatal mosquito-borne parasitic disease. It is characterized most by symptoms that resemble a severe flu, including high fever and chills.

Today, about 1, 500 cases are diagnosed annually in the United States. These cases arrive with travelers coming from countries with high malaria transmission rates. Transmission is highest in warm, tropical climates, and especially in areas south of the Sahara desert and in South Asia.

Though still a concern today, malaria problems are incomparable to during 19th century colonialism. As the British marched into more tropical territories, malaria became widespread among colonists. Trade brought the disease back to Europe were it spread quickly.

Though there was a treatment (quinine), availability was limited. The only known natural source of this compound were cinchona trees in South America. Extraction of this compound from these cinchona trees was costly. There was a huge need to synthesize a cheap and more accessible treatment for the growing number of malaria cases.

In the Hands of a Teenager

In 1856, professor August Wilhelm Hoffman at Royal College of Chemistry saw this need as a promising opportunity. The professor gave his young student, William Perkin, the task of coming up with a solution.

Hoffman thought he had the solution to another problem, as well. He wanted Perkin to use the coal waste in the streets, a constant nuisance during the Industrial Revolution, as the main ingredient.

The 18 year-old Perkin set to work in a makeshift laboratory. After trying a couple different compounds to no avail, Perkin began working with a compound called aniline, one of the main byproducts of the coal waste. Again, he found nothing, but this time he was stuck with a tube full of thick, black goop. As he tried to clean out his test tube, he found that it was dyed purple. In fact, everything that touched the goop was stained. Perkin realized that, while he hadn’t discovered a synthetic treatment for malaria, he had discovered the first synthetic dye!

An Unexpected Discovery

Perkin’s discovery of synthetic dye was a welcome alternative to the centuries old natural dyes. Natural dyes were expensive and often difficult to use. This new synthetic dye was more affordable and accessible.

Historically dye, and especially purple dye, was hard to come by and was mostly associated with royalty and wealth. Now, the “common man” was able to use it as well.

Mauve became a fashion fad. French fashion icon Empress Eugenie, wife of Napoleon III, loved the color and had several dresses made using Perkin’s dye. Mauve became one of the most fashionable and sought after colors in Victorian Britain. In fact, the fashion trend spread so quickly that it became known as the “mauve measles.”

The fashion fad didn’t last past the 20th century. But, Perkin’s synthetic dye discovery still had strong implications. We still use synthetic dyes today.

Perkins never discovered a new malaria cure. That didn’t happen until 1934 when a scientist at Bayer laboratories, developed chloroquine. The advancement in other antimalaria drugs helped decrease the number of cases in Europe and throughout the world.

Do you have more questions about malaria or are you traveling to a place where malaria transmission is high? Read more about malaria here. Feel free to contact a Passport Health travel health specialist by calling or book online now.

What do you think about this happy accident? Feel free to comment below or share this article on Facebook or via Twitter.

Written for Passport Health by Adrienne St. Clair