The Possibility of Zika Vaccine may Ease Minds of Pregnant Women
There are already more than 4,000 positive cases of the Zika virus in the United States. Photo courtesy of yournewswire.com.

The Possibility of Zika Vaccine may Ease Minds of Pregnant Women

The Zika virus has struck a chord with many Americans and as a result, has posed a nationwide concern.

According to npr.org, scientists are in the midst of testing a vaccine for the virus. The subjects for this vaccine are humans.

There is a sense of urgency to create a vaccine due to the adverse effects that the virus can produce.

Cdc.gov states that there have been 4,444 known cases of the virus in the United States.

Bonnie Samuelson, primary care physician at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, describes an ideal vaccine as one that is easily manufactured, affordable with long immunity and without major side effects.

Samuelson understands the nationwide concern about the virus.

“I think the concern is warranted, especially for those that are living in endemic areas or areas where Zika will likely occur because they have the type of mosquito that carries the Zika virus,” Samuelson said.

Samuelson admitted that the likelihood of the virus spreading to Wisconsin is slim because the state does not have a habitat where the mosquitos that cause the infection thrive in.

Though slim, the virus can be brought into the state through travel. The type of mosquito that carries the virus is called the aedes aegypti.

Samuelson said it is thought that the virus spreads through global travel and that Zika is more rampant in the southern U.S. than the Midwest because the mosquito can be found in those states.

According to Samuelson, most people infected with the virus do not have symptoms, but the virus can cause many complications for pregnant women.

Pregnant women that are infected with Zika have a higher possibility of giving birth to a child with complications.

One of the complications Samuelson described is called microcephaly, which is an interruption in brain development.

“I think we have a natural fear of the unknown and I think the media and social media tend to sensationalize infectious diseases. That is not to say that there is not a significant concern for pregnant women; there absolutely is,” Samuelson said.

The production of an effective vaccination ideally would help prevent these complications, but the vaccinations that are in development are still in the trial stages.

If a vaccination is found to be successful Samuelson’s recommendation for students to get it will be contingent on the vaccine’s immunity.

Caroline Chalk

Reporter

cchal845@uwsp.edu

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