The recent outbreak of the Zika virus in Latin America poses a public health emergency across the globe and requires a united response said the World Health Organisation. Experts worry that the virus is spreading far and fast, with devastating consequences. WHO director general Margaret Chan called Zika an “extraordinary event” that needed a co-ordinated response.
“I am now declaring that the recent cluster of microcephaly and other neurological abnormalities reported in Latin America following a similar cluster in French Polynesia in 2014 constitutes a public health emergency of international concern.” She said the priorities were to protect pregnant women and their babies from harm and to control the mosquitoes that are spreading the virus. She justified declaring an emergency saying it was time to take action. The WHO had met with heavy criticism for waiting too long to declare the Ebola outbreak a public emergency.
There is no vaccine or medication available to stop Zika, which is why, the only way to avoid catching it is to avoid getting bitten by the Aedes mosquitoes that are responsible for transmitting the infection. The organisation has already warned that the virus is likely to “spread explosively” across nearly all of the Americas. More than 20 countries including Brazil, are reporting cases. Most infections are mild and cause few or no symptoms, although there have been some reported cases of a rare paralysis disorder called Guillain-Barre syndrome. Dr Jeremy Farrar, Director of the Wellcome Trust said, “There is a long road ahead. As with Ebola, Zika has once again exposed the world's vulnerability to emerging infectious diseases and the devastation they can unleash. Alongside the emergency response that Zika necessitates, we must put in place the permanent reforms, health systems strengthening and proactive research agenda that are needed to make the global health system more resilient to the threat of future pandemics.”
