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People are not sure if they have a normal flu or the Zika virus.
It can be hard for people to make the difference between Zika virus and the normal flu. Even though Zika is a major threat to the United States, there are not many people who think they could be infected. This happens because Zika has no symptoms in most of the cases. Moreover, we always prefer to think that we have the simple flu than take into consideration we could be infected with Zika.
There is no treatment for the Zika virus. The problem is that there is no commercial test that can be used to detect the virus. However, the Food and Drug Administration approved some tests to be used by health providers. Those tests are not so effective because some of them are not showing the right results, while others take a lot of time before giving the results.
Researchers are trying to make a test that anybody could use and the results should be ready in 20 minutes, without having to wait for them. It seems that the Zika virus is not staying for a long time in the body, but it can make damages faster than we think. The Zika virus can be seen in the blood four to five days after the patient was infected and can last for more than 12 weeks.
Researchers are hoping to find the best solution soon because they need to make the difference between the Zika virus and the normal flu. Their symptoms are similar at the beginning and it is very important for a patient to know his real problem.
Even though the Zika virus was most common in countries like Brazil, it seems that the United States are in the same danger. The mosquitoes are spreading the virus and there were so many infected people who travelled that Zika becomes a world problem. The virus is most dangerous for pregnant women because if their child is infected he will not develop as he should.
Zika symptoms are fever, muscle pain, nausea. Most people think they have the normal flu because the symptoms are similar. However, the difference is we have no treatment for Zika. Health officials are advising people who were infected to rest, drink more water and avoid unprotected sexual contact. We are expecting in the future a more effective test for Zika. Meanwhile, researchers are also working to find a treatment for this disease.
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