The Zika Virus Tied to Heart Problems
For the 1st time, Doctors have tied infection with the Zika Virus to possible new heart problems in adults.
The evidence so far is only in 8 people in Venezuela, and is not enough to prove a link. It is also too soon to know how often this might be happening.
The biggest trouble the Mosquito-borne virus has been causing is for pregnant women and their fetuses.
“I think as awareness increases, the cases will start to show up more,” said Dr. Karina Gonzalez Carta, a Mayo Clinic research fellow working in Venezuela who investigated the heart cases.
She discussed them on an American College of Cardiology press call, ahead of a presentation last Saturday at the group’s meeting in Washington, DC.
Many people infected with Zika will have no or only mild symptoms, such as fever, aches, an itchy rash or red eyes. But the virus has caused an epidemic of birth defects in the Caribbean and South America, notably babies with abnormally small heads and brains.
A report last June in the International Journal of Cardiology describes heart problems that have been seen from other viruses spread by Mosquitoes, such as West Nile and ones that cause yellow fever, dengue fever and chikungunya.
Doctors have been watching for the same from Zika, and “we were surprised at the severity of the findings” in the Venezuela cases, Dr. Carta said.
She studied 9 patients, ages 30 to 64, treated at the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Caracas who developed heart symptoms such as palpitations, shortness of breath and fatigue an average of 10 days after typical Zika symptoms began.
Only 1 had any prior heart-related problem, high blood pressure that was under control with medications, and all had lab tests confirming Zika infection. They were given extensive heart tests and were studied for an average of six months, starting last July.
Eight of the 9 developed a dangerous heart rhythm problem, and 6 of the 9 developed heart failure, which occurs when a weakened heart cannot pump enough blood.
Doctors do not know if these problems will be permanent. So far, they have not gone away although medicines have improved how patients feel.
“This is the first time we’ve considered that cardiovascular disease may be associated with Zika,” and people who travel to or live in places where Zika is spreading need to watch for possible symptoms, said Dr. Martha Gulati, cardiology chief at the University of Arizona-Phoenix who is familiar with the results.
Zika infections have been reported in more than 5,000 people in the United States, mostly travelers.
After a big outbreak in Brazil in Y 2015, Zika spread throughout Latin America, the Caribbean and elsewhere. The Zika virus also spread locally in parts of Southern Florida and Texas last year.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has warned pregnant women to avoid travel to Zika zones and to use bug spray and other measures to prevent bites from Mosquitoes.
Below are Some Health Tips, as follows:
- Avoid the beach at twilight, dawn, and dusk.
- Pack a cover-up and wear it.
- Request a room on your hotel’s higher floors.
- Do not forget your bug spray preferably Organic and non toxic ones.
Notably, last August during the height of the Zika virus panic I met and spoke at lenghht with R. Charles Murray, Founder/CEO Penta 5 USA and learned that he has succeeded in developing a new class of products that can halt a Mosquitoe’s appetite for human Blood.
Penta 5’s products are non-toxic and environmentally friendly. Marketed under the brand name SECURE™ no-bite the line consists of lotions and “Zone Attractants.”
The latter take the form of pouches that are filled with dry and liquid patented compounds which when combined and shaken produce a gas emission that attracts mosquitoes.
The emission confounds the mosquito’s appetite for a protein “bloodmeal” and in so doing ensures a zone of up to 400 sqf for up to 15 days.
Continual use maintains a safe no-Bite Zone. No less effective, the SECURE™ Anytime™ lotion permits users to work and play in areas outside the zone infested by “bloodmeal” seeking mosquitoes without the fear of being bitten.
Mr. Murray told me that “SECURE™ no-Bite Zone attractants have been shown to effectively reduce mosquito populations and therefor reduce the risk of dangerous bites. Also, that only the female mosquitoe seek ‘bloodmeals,’ meaning the iron and proteins of which are used to form eggs.
SECURE™ no-bite Zone 15 day emission confounds the female mosquito causing her to seek nectar as a replacement meal. Penta5’s SECURE™ Anytime™ lotion allows people to move outside of the Zone, remain bite-free and significantly, the product poses no threat to children, pets or wildlife.”
Under test in both laboratory and outdoor conditions for the past year the release of SECURE™ no-bite products now as the Zika virus breaks out over South Florida is an important safety issue for the population and the commercial interest of the State of Florida.
Penta 5 USA LLC is the wellness product division of PPi Technologies GROUP. The PPi Technologies GROUP of companies are all based in Sarasota, Florida. For more information go to: penta5usa.com/
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