EBOLA VIRUS DISEASE AND ZIKA VIRUS DISEASE: NEUROPSYCHIATRIC SEQUELAE
Nirmaljit Kaur, Preeti Madan, Geetika Rana, Pradeep Kumar, Shalini Malhotra, M. S. Bhatia*
ABSTRACT
Ebola virus disease (EVD) and Zika virus disease (ZVD) are the two most recent emerging and re-emerging diseases in the world. Due to sudden unexpected surge in the number of cases, a lot of fear and panic had spread all over the worldleading to psychological distress. The EVD outbreak in West Africa was the largest and most complex Ebola outbreak since the Ebola virus was first discovered in 1976.Thousands were infected and many lost their lives. The Zika virus epidemic that started in Brazil, spread to >30 countries and territories in Latin America, and led to a rapid rise in the incidence of microcephalic newborns and adults with neurological complications. Neither an effective treatment nor a vaccine is available for both the diseases. The mainstay of the treatment emphasises on physical care and little or no attention has been paid to mental health.Both the diseases left many survivors with psychological distress. Understanding psychological reactions among these survivors may provide relevant information about post-treatment adjustment and possible psychological preventative measures.
Keywords: Ebola virus disease, Zika virus disease, Psychological distress, Neuropsychiatric complications.
[Full Text Article]
[Download Certificate]
Impact Factor : 8.181 
