Kasmera (Jun 2018)

Zika and cases of microcephaly in the state of Zulia: clinical and epidemiological aspects of the sprout, year 2016

  • María Gómez,
  • Ayarí Avila,
  • Elina Castillo,
  • Angelina Marquez,
  • Nelys Barboza,
  • Belen Rodríguez,
  • Luisa Marquez,
  • Gisbel Ferrer,
  • Manuel Gómez

Journal volume & issue
Vol. 46, no. 1
pp. 52 – 60

Abstract

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Zika is an emerging disease in Venezuela and in the state of Zulia, it generally evolves in a benign manner and can produce complications such as Guillain-Barré syndrome and microcephaly in newborns. Itis proposed to describe the clinical and epidemiological aspects of the Zika outbreak and the cases of microcephaly. The research is descriptive, cross-sectional, conducted from May 2016 to March 2017. The population consisted of 1,155 suspected cases, with a sample of 228 patients, resulting in 108 positive PCR in real time. The largest number of cases occurred at the age of 17 to 33 years (59.3%), with a predominance of females (81.5%), in the municipalities of Maracaibo and San Francisco (75%). In relation to the symptomatology, the frequent are rash (84.3%), headache and fever (76.9%), while arthralgia (65.7%) and myalgia (47.2%) are less common. During the outbreak, there were two deaths of the male sex, representing 1.9%; 146 cases with Guillain-Barré syndrome and 7 cases with microcephaly, corresponding to the male sex (85%), with a newborn gestational age of 37.4 weeks and 85% survival. The main recommendation should be directed to the control of the transmitting vector of the disease and to make the diagnosis of the suspicious cases for their confirmation.

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