10 most important things you need to know about Zika virus

The Zika virus (yellow) is strongly suspected of causing birth defects. 

[Science Photo Library]

What is Zika virus?

Zika virus is a mosquito-transmitted infection related to dengue, yellow fever and West Nile virus.

Symptoms are mild and include fever, rash, joint pain and conjunctivitis (red eyes).

Just one in five people infected becomes ill. Hospitalisation is uncommon and deaths are rare.

How does it spread?

Zika is primarily spread through the bite of an infected Aedes species of mosquito.

Pregnant women can also pass the virus to their babies during pregnancy but how and when this happens is unclear.

Those infected can pass the virus on through a mosquito bite for about seven days after infection.

There are no reports of transmission through breastfeeding, but in a few cases the virus has been reported to have been passed on through blood transfusion and sexual contact.

Where is Zika?

The latest outbreak is in 23 countries in the Carribean, Central America, South America, Mexico and Puerto Rico. 

Past outbreaks have been in Gabon, Egypt, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Côte d'Ivoire, the Central African Republic, Cambodia, Micronesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, India, Thailand, Philippines, and Indonesia. 

How did Zika get to Brazil?

Nothing has been proven but Zika may have been brought to Brazil by participants of the Va’a World Sprint Canoeing World Championships, held in August 2014.

Athletes came from French Polynesia, New Caledonia, the Cook Islands and Easter Island.

It has also been suggested that Zika was brought by Asian tourists attending the 2014 FIFA World Cup, raising concerns that the Olympics, starting in Rio de Janeiro on August 5, will result in further spread of the virus.

How is Zika diagnosed?

A blood or tissue sample from the first week in the infection must be sent to an advanced laboratory.

The virus can be detected through sophisticated molecular testing that seeks out the active virus, which lasts in the body for about a week.

Research is being done to develop a rapid test which could look for antibodies after a patient has recovered from the virus, making it possible to test for immunity.

How is Zika treated?

There is no vaccine or specific medicine currently available and treatment is normally focused on relieving the symptoms.

Can a vaccine be developed?

In theory a vaccine is possible but development testing and trials for human vaccines normally take years and cost hundreds of millions of dollars.

A number of companies, including Inovio, Hawaii Biotech, GSK and Sanofi are developing or considering working on a vaccine. 

Last year Sanofi received approval for the world’s first dengue vaccine.

Dengue is closely related to Zika but Sanofi is cautious about whether it could be adapted.

“There are too many unknowns about Zika to reliably judge the ability to research and develop a vaccine effectively at this time,” it said in a statement.

What is microcephaly and how is it linked?

Microcephaly is a birth defect characterised by incomplete brain development and an unusually small head.

It is a life-long condition with no cure or standard of treatment, and is linked with conditions such as seizures, developmental delays and intellectual problems.

Microcephaly is normally uncommon. In the US, there are typically between two and 12 cases per 10,000 newborns. 

The condition is being reported in the worst Zika-affected areas in Brazil at dramatically higher rates: 100 cases for every 10,000, or 1 percent of births.

Research from Brazil has suggested there is a correlation between the location and timing of this Zika outbreak and the increase in cases of microcephaly, but there is currently no proof that the virus causes the birth defect.

However, Zika virus has been found in the amniotic fluid of pregnant women with the virus and in the placentas and brains of miscarried fetuses with microcephaly. The World Health Organisation's Director-General Dr Margaret Chan says a causal link is "strongly suspected".

Why was the potential link between Zika and birth defects not previously observed?

In areas where Zika has been active for decades, such as Central Africa and Asia, most people are infected early in life, so the risk of infection during pregnancy is small.

The population in the Americas has not had exposure to the virus until now.

This means more women are now being exposed to the virus for the first time during pregnancy, possibly increasing the risk of birth defects.

This is why public health officials are telling women to avoid getting pregnant, at least until they have had the virus, or Zika has been brought under control.

Can GM mosquitos stop the virus?

British biotech company Oxitec has produced genetically modified Aedes aegyptimosquitoes by introduing two genes into its DNA.

One of them makes its eggs glow under UV light, helping with identification.

The other causes ithe mosquito's offspring to die.

Oxitec says that by releasing the GM mosquitos into infected areas populations of Aedes aegypti can be reduced by more than 80 percent, thereby reducing transmission of Zika.

Oxitec says there is no way the mosquitos' modified DNA can transfer into humans or other mammals and insects, but public fears over genetic modification mean the technique is controversial.

Source: Al Jazeera

World AIDS Day & The Red Ribbon

The Red Ribbon

30 years after the first cases of HIV – the red ribbon is the universal symbol of awareness and support for those living with HIV. The red ribbon was the first ever ribbon symbol, inspiring later versions such as the pink ribbon for breast cancer awareness.

Where did the idea come from?

In 1991 – a decade after the emergence of HIV – a group of 12 artists gathered to discuss a new project for Visual Aids; a New York arts organisation that raises awareness of HIV. They were photographers, painters, film makers and costume designers, and they sat around in the shared gallery space in New York's East Village.

After a short brainstorm they had come up with a simple idea that later became one of the most recognised symbols of the decade - the red ribbon, worn to signify awareness and support for people living with HIV.

Why did we need a symbol?

When the artists sat down to work on this project, their aim was to get people talking about HIV. This was during a time where HIV was highly stigmatised and people living with HIV were suffering behind closed doors, some too scared to even tell their loved ones they were living with the virus. The artists wanted to create a visual expression of compassion for people living with, and affected by, HIV.

The artists were inspired by the yellow ribbons tied on trees to denote support for the US military fighting in the Gulf War. Pink and the rainbow colours were rejected because they were too closely associated with the gay community, and they wanted to convey that HIV went beyond the gay community and was relevant to everyone.

Red was chosen as it is bold and visible – symbolising passion, a heart and love. The shape was chosen simply because it was easy to make and replicate – anyone can make one by just cutting out a piece of ribbon, looping it around your finger and pinning it on.

How did the red ribbon become so well known?

In the early days, the artists made the ribbons themselves and distributing them around the New York art scene and dropped them off at theatres. Initially there was a text that went with it, to explain why they were being worn, but eventually this was dropped as its symbolism no longer needed an explanation.

Within weeks of the red ribbon idea being born, world-famous actors starting wearing the red ribbon to high-profile award ceremonies such as the Oscars and talking about why it was important. The media also cottoned on, and within a short space of time the red ribbon symbol became universally recognised.

At the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert held at London's Wembley Stadium on Easter Sunday 1992, more than 100,000 red ribbons were distributed among the audience, with performers such as George Michael wearing one. The Red Ribbon continues to be a powerful force in the efforts to increase public awareness of HIV.

www.worldaidsday.org

Earth Day 2014 - Facts

Earth Day 2014 - Facts

Friendliest Country in the World

The friendliest countries in the world toward foreign visitors are Iceland, New Zealand, and Morocco. 

From the World Economic Forum's (WEF) "Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report 2013," we now have the raw data, assembled into convenient map format by Max Fischer of the Washington Post. Red countries are the least welcoming towards foreigners, while blue countries are the most friendly. Strewn throughout the data are some interesting surprises. 

The WEF assembled the raw data through extensive surveys in late 2011 to late 2012 with the question "How welcome are foreign visitors in your country?" The hopes are that the results help analysts "measure the extent to which a country and society are open to tourism and foreign visitors." 

The U.S., which as the Washington Post noted is supposedly the land of "give us your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free," came in at 102nd place, "well below much of the Middle East." 

The friendliest countries are Iceland, New Zealand and Morocco. There's little correlation between the remaining high scorers, ranging from formerly conflict-ridden countries like Bosnia and Herzegovina (8) and our Sri Lanka (25), oil-rich nations with heavy foreign investment like the United Arab Emirates (15), tourist havens like Barbados (11) and Thailand (13), and many African nations — Morocco (3), Burkina Faso (10), Mali (14), Rwanda (21), and Mauritius (28). 

Least welcoming countries were Bolivia, Venezuela, and somewhat unsurprisingly, Russia. Other unfriendly places included China, Bulgaria, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Romania. South Korea came in very low-ranked as well, at 129. 

One wonders how its cousins to the north feel. The catch? Don't let the map make you think the world is brimming with pitchforks. For one, the results of the survey were ranked on a scale of 1 (very unwelcome) to 7 (very welcome), with the top 138 countries all ranking at 5 or higher, with the top 125 scoring 5.7 or higher. 
Just Venezuela and Bolivia, coming in at 4.5 and 4.1 respectively, ranked lower than 5 on the scale. And depending on where you travel within a country, people are likely to be more or less welcoming depending on whether you're in an urban or rural area, the local economic conditions, and how stable the political environment is. 

Moreover, whether or not a visitor is generally welcome in a country probably depends as much on their nationality and the specific nation in question as much as the population's general attitude towards outsiders. Americans and Israelis, for example, might find themselves significantly more unwelcome in areas with a history of strained relations. 

via: policymic.com/ 

16 Things You Didn't Know about 'Play Boy' Hugh Hefner...

16 Things You Didn't Know about Hugh Hefner... infographic

AIDS !!! HIV Facts and statistics

HIV facts

HIV stands for the Human Immunodeficiency Virus. It is a virus which attacks the body's immune system — the body's defence against diseases.

HIV can be passed on through infected bodily fluids, most commonly via sex without a condom or by sharing infected needles, syringes or other injecting drug equipment.

International statistics

• The number of new HIV infections has declined globally by 21% since the estimated peak of the epidemic in 1997
• 2.3 million people were newly infected with HIV worldwide in 2012
• In some parts of the world (particularly within Sub-Saharan Africa) between 15-28% of the population are living with HIV

People living with HIV globally

• 35.3 million people living with HIV worldwide
• 47% of people living with HIV worldwide are women
• 1.6 million AIDS-related deaths

New HIV cases around the globe in 2012

• 2.3 million people diagnosed with HIV
• 6,300 new HIV infections a day
• 260 000 new HIV infections among children 
• 95% are in low- and middle-income countries

People who are on effective HIV treatment, with an undetectable viral load for least six months can not pass the virus on. NAT is lobbying the NHS to allow people to start treatment early if they want to, in order to prevent transmission.

It is a common myth that gay men can't donate blood. Actually NAT were instrumental in securing and participating in the review which led to an overturn of the lifetime ban on gay men donating blood.

Some weird Facts.....

These are some weird facts, which some of us might not have heard before:

A Saudi Arabian woman can get a divorce if her husband doesn't give her coffee. 

A shark can detect one part of blood in 100 million parts of water.

A rat can last longer without water than a camel.

Your stomach has to produce a new layer of mucus every two weeks otherwise it will digest itself.

The dot over the letter i is called a tittle.

A raisin dropped in a glass of fresh champagne will bounce up and down continually from the bottom of the glass to the top.

A person cannot taste food unless it is mixed with saliva. For example,if a strong-tasting substance like salt is placed on a dry tongue, the taste buds will not be able to taste it. As

soon as a drop of saliva is added and the salt is dissolved,however, a definite taste sensation results. This is true for all foods.Try it!

A male emperor moth can smell a female emperor moth up to 7 miles away.

A giraffe can clean its ears with its 21-inch tongue!

Every person has a unique tongue print. 

Einstein couldn't speak fluently when he was nine. His parents thought he might be retarded.

Chocolate kills dogs!

True, chocolate effects a dogs heart and nervous system, a few ounces enough to kill a small sized dog. 

Money isn't made out of paper, it's made out of cotton. Before the 1950s, it was made from the stem and leaves of a marijuana plant. 

Most lipstick contains fish scales. 

Orcas (killer whales) kill sharks by torpedoing up into the shark's stomach from underneath, causing the shark to explode.

Ketchup was sold in the 1830s as medicine.

Leonardo da Vinci could write with one hand and draw with the other at the same time.

The number of possible ways of playing the first four moves per side in a game of

chess is 318,979,564,000. 

There are no words in the dictionary that rhyme with: orange, purple, and silver! 

Leonardo Da Vinci took 10 years to paint Mona Lisa's lips. 

Bruce Lee was so fast that they actually had to SLOW a film down so you could see his

moves.

Bubble gum contains rubber.

Chewing gum while peeling onions will keep you from crying!