CIEE Khon Kaen
Volume XVII, Issue III, Fall 2016
Isaan Insider O09iu87y67ui9o09879
Na Nong Bong, a village located in Isaan, the northeastern region of Thailand. Over the course of the last decade, this community has had to adapt to significant environmental and lifestyle transformations resulting from a development project – a gold mine only one kilometer from their village – that was initially instituted by a private company, but has had continued support from the government. BY Maria Bravo, Michael Eckel, Andrew Limthongviratn, McKenzie Maidl
Isaan Insider, Volume XVII, Issue III, Fall 2016
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Zika Virus in Thailand Zika Virus is a vector-borne flavivirus, which makes it a relative of Dengue Fever, Yellow Fever, and West Nile Virus. These four flaviviruses are transmitted by the same vector as well: mosquitoes, specifically those of the genus Aedes. The Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes are responsible for the spread of Zika, as well as other diseases. The vector picks up the disease when it takes blood meal from a person or animal (notably primates) that is infected with Zika Virus. The virus will develop within the mosquito and infect its saliva, allowing the mosquito to transfer Zika to any host it feeds off of.
Those who do experience symptoms can expect fever, rash, joint and muscle pain, headache, and conjunctivitis. Symptoms typically only last a week and are rarely life-threatening; the virus itself leaves the bloodstream after a week as well. In some rare cases, patients can develop Guillain-BarrĂŠ Syndrome, which causes immune cells to attack nerve cells and leads to muscle weakness and potential paralysis. Duration of symptoms can stretch to months or even be permanent, but rarely are cases fatal.
Inside the new host, the virus will bypass the security system of the host cells to injectits RNA strand. From there, the enzymes in the cell transcribe the RNA, which carries blueprints for mass-producing viruses. The new viruses then pour out of the hijacked cell to infect other cells and increase their numbers, thus causing a full infection with Zika Virus. However, most people who contract Zika Virus will display only mild symptoms, or sometimes no symptoms at all.
Isaan Insider, Volume XVII, Issue III, Fall 2016
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The greatest risk inherent in Zika infection is the threat it poses to newborns. Zika Virus is believed to be linked to birth defects such as microcephaly, wherein a baby’s head is abnormally small as a result of an underdeveloped brain. Zika Virus may also impair the senses and stunt growth. For this reason, pregnant women or women who may become pregnant are the population most in need of protection; vertical transmission between mother and fetus is a distinct possibility. In addition to this, Zika has the potential to spread through blood transfusions and sexual contact, which means that an infected male that impregnates a female may put their fetus at risk.
Isaan Insider, Volume XVII, Issue III, Fall 2016
Treatment for Zika Virus is extremely general: get rest, drink liquids, and take fever reducing/pain relieving medicines. It is important to note that the usage of NSAID medications is discouraged until it is confirmed that the patient is not suffering from Dengue Fever due to risk of excessive bleeding. There is no cure and no vaccine against Zika; instead, it is a matter of avoiding bites, especially if traveling to a Zika-laden area. If infected, the best course of action is to merely wait out the symptoms.
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Country Topics Thailand
Brazil
Confirmed Zika Cases
349 cases since January 2016
16,000+ cases since February 2016
Cases Zika induced Microcephaly
2
4,000+
CDC Country Classification
Red Alert; increasing or widespread transmission
Red Alert; increasing or widespread transmission
Travel Warning
Alert issued for pregnant women or those planning on becoming pregnant
Alert issued for pregnant women or those planning on becoming pregnant
Peak Transmission
Rainy Season: May-October
Rainy Season: November-May
Abortion
Illegal except for cases of rape or incest, to save a mother’s life or preserve a mother’s health within first 12 weeks There is “possible” exemption for mother’s infected with Zika and fetuses showing signs of Microcephaly
Tourism
Has not yet affected tourism in Thailand The Ministry of Public Health is downplaying the severity of the epidemic for this reason
Illegal with the exceptions of rape or incest or to save the mother’s life Recent attempts to pass legislation to increase abortion regulations and prolong jail sentences from 1-3 years to a maximum of 4.5 years Affected attendance at the 2016 Rio Olympics. 11 athletes did not attend the Olympics due to Zika threat. No recorded cases of Zika from the Rio Olympics
Written by Lauren Raue, Hayley Alexander, Maria Cadena, Macauley Gibbons
Isaan Insider, Volume XVII, Issue III, Fall 2016
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CIEE Advisor, Susan Pollis, spollis@ciee.org Resident Director, David Streckfuss, dstreckfuss@yahoo.com Assistant Resident Director, Arunee Sriruksa, aruneee@yahoo.com Field Studies Coordinator, John Mark Belardo, jmbelardo@gmail.com Visit us on the web, at: Website: http://study-abroad-blog-khon-kaen-dg.ciee.org/ Facebook CIEE Khon Kaen Twitter CIEE Khon Kaen Instagram #cieekhonkaen
Isaan Insider, Volume XV, Issue I, Fall 2016