Caribbean Times 11.03.2016

8
health
Caribbean Times | November 3-16, 2016
Effectively tracking Zika
zika
UWI regional task force tracks rare neurological disorder
Thomas Langerak, PhD student at Erasmus Medical Centre, Holland, second from right, demonstrates
the use of the new Caribbean database for Guillain-Barré syndrome to (L-R) Dr Azad
Esack, Consultant, Neurologist, Eric Williams Medical Sciences Centre, Mount Hope (EWMSC); Dr
Sherry Sandy, Lecturer in Adult Clinical Medicine at The University of the West Indies, St Augustine
(UWI); and Dr Avidesh Panday, Consultant, Neurologist, EWMSC, Mount Hope. The meeting
took place at the Adult Medicine Unit, Department of Clinical Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medical
Sciences, UWI, September 29, 2016
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad -- The Caribbean
has moved one step closer to uncovering
the link between the zika virus
disease and a rare neurological illness.
Once an obscure pathogen, the mosquito-borne
zika virus quickly spread to
more than 40 countries in the Americas
after an outbreak in northeast Brazil in
early 2015. The outbreak could pose an
economic burden of $3.5 billion on Latin
America and the Caribbean alone, according
to a World Bank estimate.
Zika is now widely feared for causing
microcephaly -- a birth defect in
which children have malformed heads
and severely stunted brain development.
The virus is also linked with an uncommon
neurological disorder called Guillain-Barré
syndrome, which involves
extreme muscle weakness and eventual
paralysis.
Much is yet to be understood about
the syndrome and its link to zika, in part
because it is so rare. A study published in
The Lancet in April found “evidence for
virus infection causing Guillain-Barré
syndrome.” The Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention has said that the
zika virus is “strongly associated” with the
syndrome, but has stopped short of declaring
it a cause of the condition.
Another study published in The New
England Journal of Medicine in August
suggests that even asymptomatic zika
infections could bring on Guillain-Barré
syndrome. In seven countries that experienced
zika outbreaks, there were also
sharp increases in the numbers of people
suffering from a form of temporary paralysis.
From April 1, 2015, to March 31,
2016, a total of 164,237 confirmed and
suspected cases of zika and 1,474 cases of
the Guillain-Barré syndrome were reported
in Brazil, Colombia, the Dominican
Republic, El Salvador, Honduras, Suriname
and Venezuela.
A new Caribbean-based initiative,
launched by The University of the West
Indies (UWI) in partnership with the
Erasmus Medical Centre in Holland, aims
to shed even more light on the relationship
between zika and Guillain-Barré
syndrome. Researchers from both institutions
are working together to collect data
on confirmed Guillain-Barré syndrome
patients who are also confirmed zika patients.
The data can be used to generate
Continued on page 22
Steps to avoid
Hypothermia
Cold Can Be Dangerous
The frosty air of winter can be
invigorating. But cold air can also
pose threats to your health, whether
you’re indoors or outside. If
your body temperature drops too
low, it can lead to a serious, sometimes
deadly condition known as
hypothermia. Learn to recognize
the signs of this condition, and
take steps to keep yourself and
your family warm and safe during
this chilly season.
A normal body temperature
is 98.6 °F. Just a few degrees lower—below
95°—can be dangerous,
especially for the very young and
very old.
“The body is finely tuned to
operate within a narrow temperature
range inside the body, despite
large differences in temperature
outside the body. We have all sorts
of mechanisms—like adjusting the
size of our small blood vessels and
shivering—to help us maintain a
healthy body temperature,” says
NIH’s Dr. Basil Eldadah, who oversees
research on the medical care
of older adults. “But older adults
and young children are more susceptible
to the effects of outside
temperature changes. When the
body’s inside temperature strays
beyond that narrow range, body
functions don’t operate well.”
Low body temperatures can
impair vital organs. When cold
affects the body, people may have
trouble thinking clearly, talking
properly, or moving well. They
may not realize what’s happening,
or they might not be able to take
steps to warm up or ask for help.
Anyone who spends much time
outdoors in very cold weather can
get hypothermia. But hypothermia
can happen anywhere—not
just outside and not just in bitter
winter weather. It can strike when
temperatures are cool—for example,
if a person becomes chilled
from rain, sweat, or being in cold
water.
“Even during the heat of summer,
older people and very small
children are at risk if air conditioning
makes their homes too cold,”
Eldadah says. Certain medications
and alcohol can also raise the risk
for hypothermia.
Left untreated, hypothermia
can quickly turn dangerous. Several
hundred people in the U.S.—
half of them age 65 or older—die
from hypothermia each year.
“If you suspect that someone
you know or love may be at risk
of hypothermia, it’s important to
know the signs and symptoms,
and take quick action if needed,”
Eldadah says. “First get the person
out of the cold or wet environment
if possible, remove any wet clothes,
and cover the person with dry
blankets or whatever’s handy.” Offer
the person something warm to
drink, but avoid alcohol or caffeinated
beverages like coffee.
“Also avoid things like a hot-water
bath or a heating pad,” says
Continued on page 12