Zika Virus and the Water Supply Chain

Abstract

Recently, an epidemic broke out in South America, more specifically Brazil, which is harmful to women baring a child. This epidemic originally began in West Africa. This concern is associated with the increased incident of microcephaly in newborns to mothers infected by the virus. An ultrasound performed at 29 weeks of development uncovered microcephaly with calcifications in the fetal mind and placenta (Miaker, 2016). After the mother asked for a termination of the pregnancy, a fetal post-mortem examination was performed. Microcephaly was seen with verging multifocal dystrophic calcifications in the cortex and subcortical white matter, with related cortical dislodging and gentle central irritation. Zika Virus, or ZIKV, was found in the fetal cerebrum tissue on converse transcriptase–polymerase-chain-response measure, with predictable discoveries on electron microscopy. The complete genome of the virus was recuperated from the fetal mind (Miaker, 2016). The outbreak of “Guillian-Barre Syndrome, [a condition in which the immune system attacks the nerves], and Microcephaly, [meaning little cerebrum], have led the World Health Organization to declare a global health emergency. Gangliosides are crucial in brain development, and their expression correlates with neurogenesis, synaptogenesis, synaptic transmission, and cell proliferation. Targeting the autoimmune response to gangliosides may represent an underexploited opportunity to examine the increased incidence of neurological complications related to ZIKV infection” (Anaya et al., 2016). The purpose of this literature review is to determine the effects of the ZIKV on the nervous system in humans and across other species; we will also determine how Gullain-Barre Syndrome, or GBS, and Microcephaly are developed, and a probable cure to ZIKV.