Zika Virus IgG
Blood test by IgG antibodies to Zika Virus (Zika-Virus-Ak (IgG) from serum). This test measures whether IgG antibodies are produced by the immune system when a person has been exposed to the virus.
IgG antibodies are produced by the immune system as a secondary response to infection or vaccination. They usually appear a little later in the infection process, after the production of IgM antibodies.
The Zika virus is spread by the yellow fever mosquito or dengue mosquito. This mosquito does not occur naturally in the Netherlands. The disease (zika fever) usually progresses quite mildly. Most people get no symptoms at all. However, it has now been scientifically proven that an infection during pregnancy can be harmful to the unborn child.
Dengue virus, or dengue fever, can also be spread by this mosquito.
Women who are pregnant or trying to have a baby are still warned against traveling to the 79 countries where Zika has spread.
This advisory is based on the increased risk of microcephaly and other birth defects in babies of pregnant women infected with the Zika virus, which is primarily spread by mosquitoes. Microcephaly is a condition in which a baby is born with a small head or has a head that does not grow after birth. In line with World Health Organization advice, Sun Online has published a map showing which countries are still dangerous to travel to. The World Health Organization advises pregnant women not to travel to Zika-affected areas they have classified as Category 1 and 2. Category 1 is a country with a new introduction of the Zika virus since 2015, or where the virus has been reintroduced, with ongoing transmission.
An infection with the Zika virus causes symptoms in about 1 in 5 people. Symptoms of Zika fever usually appear 3 to 12 days after a bite from an infected mosquito. Most people recover within a week without serious problems.
Symptoms that may occur are:
- Acute (moderate) fever
- Non-lethal inflammation of the eye
- Muscle and joint pain (especially of the hands and feet, sometimes joint swelling)
- Skin rash (often starting on the face and spreading over the rest of the body)
- Less common: headache, lack of appetite, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain
There is a link between abnormalities in the unborn child and infection with the zika virus during pregnancy, also called congenital Zika virus syndrome. These include a brain abnormality (microcephaly) in the unborn child described.
Guillain-Barré syndrome also appears to be a complication of infection. Of this, however, it is still unknown how often it occurs after a zika virus infection, but it seems to be quite rare.
Sexual transmission
The Zika virus can very occasionally be transmitted through sexual contact. This is because the virus has been found in semen. However, the chance of becoming infected with the zika virus in this way is estimated to be very small. To prevent this infection, men who have been in countries where the zika virus is present are advised to use a condom for two months. Especially with a pregnant woman.
