Health Feature The Zika virus made worldwide headlines in 2016, especially while Brazil ‒ the epicentre of the outbreak ‒ was hosting the Olympic Games. Then summer ended, the mosquitoes that carried the virus left the scene and Zika became old news. But summer is upon us again. While Zika headlines may not rival those of last year, the disease itself has survived the winter and has even spread northward. And, if a new Canadian study is any indication, it’s not just pregnant women who need to worry about it. Zika spreads to people through the bite of an infected mosquito and can also be transferred through sexual contact. Most affected people experience only mild, flu-like symptoms, and some may not even realize that they have the virus. Pregnant women face the greatest danger from Zika, which can cause microcephaly (underdeveloped head and brain) in their newborns. This doesn’t mean that Canadians past the child-bearing years can ignore the threat. In a recent study of 41 Canadian travellers who acquired Zika in the Americas, symptoms were all over the map: along with the expected aches and rashes, two subjects developed a complication called Guillain-Barré syndrome (a potentially life-threatening condition causing paralysis) and one got viral meningitis. “We were surprised to find these complications in such a small group of travellers, given their rarity in other travel-related illnesses,” says infectious diseases specialist Andrea Boggild, the study’s lead investigator and a professor at the University of Toronto. Indeed, the study also assessed 41 former dengue patients and didn’t find any complications in this group. “Our results reinforce the need for continued vigilance.” Brian Goldman, the Toronto emergency physician who hosts the popular CBC radio show White Coat, Black Art, couldn’t agree more. “We think of dengue as a serious illness and Zika as mild but, from what I’ve seen, it’s the other way around,” he says. What’s more, “The risk of contracting Zika ‒ and getting complications ‒ may be greater in older people because immune systems weaken as people age.” In Dr. Goldman’s view, “Canadians may not be as well prepared as they should be, given the shifting course of the outbreak.” Last year, Zika marched through Central America and the Caribbean. This year has seen Stay smart about What’s changed, what to know, what to do by Gabrielle Bauer 36 | www.snowbirds.org
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