This is how Zika is tested for. The virus leaves antibodies behind after the infection. It is those that are tested for:
Diagnostic Testing
| Zika virus | CDC
You don't need to have symptoms of Zika to have it. The damage it does is internal and may not show clinically.
It is something to consider in your case... with a sudden onset.
Zika has been reported to damage the peripheral nerves, and in severe cases, causes Guillain Barre Syndrome (GBS)which is a severe peripheral neuropathy. It also has been suggested to cause CNS damage and spinal damage.
Zika and Guillain-Barre Syndrome | Zika virus | CDC
There'''s More Evidence Zika Goes Straight to the Brain - NBC News
Each day there are new reports of the damage this virus causes, so one needs to keep up with it all.
Quote:
Originally Posted by slay2k
Thanks for bringing that up, mrsD, but although I suspect this could be viral (neurotoxic) in nature, I don't think it is Zika / Dengue / Chikungunya (prevalent in Puerto Rico) for the following reasons.
1. Zika is asymptomatic in 80% of infected people
2. Zika only lasts a week in the blood so getting a test now would be fruitless as my symptoms started months ago
3. Zika's primary symptoms in the 20% of cases are things like fever, nausea, skin rash, joint pain or swelling, none of which I have had.
4. There's no evidence of Zika causing fasciculations / muscle twitches / electric shocks in a person, which are my main complaints.
I wish it was as easy as identifying a virus and just waiting it out. Ciguatera is actually closer in nature to what I have -- a fish neurotoxin that affects the gut. But I haven't eaten any fish here so there'd be no way for me to get it, and I don't have the classic cold/hot reversal symptoms. However the idea of a neurotoxic virus makes sense to me since my symptoms did improve over time (with the exception of the current "flare-up" state).
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Weezie looking at petunias 8.25.2017
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