A health emergency in Brazil regarding the Zika virus has focused attention on the man-made environmental factors partly responsible for the spread of the disease. Zika virus is transferred through mosquito bites from the Aedes aegypti mosquito which also carries yellow fever, dengue fever and the chikungunya virus. As many as 1.5 million Brazilians are reported to have been infected with Zika virus. Illness is typically mild with symptoms of joint pain, rash, fever and conjunctivitis. Serious complications are rare, except in the case of pregnant women. Health organizations in Brazil report an alarmingly high number of babies being born with birth defects, Guillain-Barre syndrome and other poor pregnancy outcomes related to mothers carrying the virus.
The outbreak has been fostered, in part, by human alterations to the natural environment of the Aedes aegypti mosquito. The mosquito doesn’t live in swamps or in the ground like others of its kind, but has adapted to the world of humans—somewhat like a human parasite. It thrives in artificial habitats such as plastic containers, tires and other water-collecting refuse. Urban waste is a major contributor to the insect’s ability to reproduce, but the building of dams and other man-made water systems in Brazil is also blamed as is deforestation and global warming.
Researchers studying the spread of many types of insect-borne diseases emphasize that environmental factors are a major part of the problem, but not the whole problem. Poverty, human migration and conflict also play a big part in the transference of disease-carrying vectors.
Though symptoms of Zika virus can be treated, there is no medical solution to the Zika outbreak itself. A focus on the environmental issues that support the reproduction and spread of the infected mosquitos is the best way to protect the people living in outbreak zones.