The alarm level over the Zika virus has become "extremely high," said Dr. Margaret Chan, the director-general of the World Health Organization in a speech to member nations. She has called an emergency meeting to discuss whether the outbreak qualifies as an international public health emergency on Feb. 1. The WHO warning came as scientists in Brazil said it is possible the virus, which is linked to an increase in the number of babies born with severe birth defects, is carried by the common mosquito.
The Zika virus is strongly suspected of causing birth defects and may infect 3-4 million people in the Americas, including 1.5 million in Brazil, a World Health Organization expert said on Thursday. Honduras has registered 1,000 cases of the virus since December. There are no known vaccines, specific treatments or rapid diagnostic tests for the virus, something WHO has highlighted as a particular concern. Zika is similar to dengue and chikungunya and causes mild fever, rash and red eyes. An estimated 80 percent of people infected have no symptoms, making it difficult for pregnant women to know whether they have been infected.
The possible links, only recently suspected, have rapidly changed the risk profile of Zika, from a mild threat to one of alarming proportions.WHO Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan
Note: Here's a few posts from 2014 and 2016 regarding chikungunya and dengue as mentioned in the article above.
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Jan 7, 2016 ... Diseases like Zika, dengue (breakbone fever) and chikungunya (meaning "that which bends up" because of the contorted physique of the ...
custodialworld.blogspot.com
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May 19, 2014 ... If You Travel, Beware of Chikungunya. The last couple of weeks I posted information about MERS and the concern over this new virus that has ...
custodialworld.blogspot.com
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Jun 5, 2014 ... Those rascally little mosquitoes continue to share their pain with over 100,000 people now being infected with the Chikungunya virus. I posted ...
custodialworld.blogspot.com
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