The World Health Organization (WHO)
has declared the Zika virus and its suspected link to birth defects
an international public health emergency and given countries tools to fight it.
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.
Zika virus is an emerging
mosquito-borne virus that was first identified in Uganda in 1947 in rhesus
monkeys through a monitoring network of sylvatic yellow fever. It was
subsequently identified in humans in 1952 in Uganda and the United Republic of
Tanzania. Outbreaks of Zika virus disease have been recorded in Africa, the
Americas, Asia and the Pacific.
Currently, there is no vaccine or medication to stop Zika.
The only way to avoid catching it is to avoid getting bitten by the Aedes
mosquitoes that transmit the infection.
The WHO has already warned that Zika is likely to
"spread explosively" across nearly all of the Americas. More than 20
countries, including Brazil, are reporting cases.
Key
facts
- Zika virus disease is caused by a virus transmitted by Aedes
mosquitoes.
- People with Zika virus disease usually have symptoms
that can include mild fever, skin rashes, conjunctivitis, muscle and joint
pain, malaise or headache. These symptoms normally last for 2-7 days.
- There is no specific treatment or vaccine currently
available.
- The best form of prevention is protection against
mosquito bites.
- The virus is known to circulate in Africa, the
Americas, Asia and the Pacific.
Transmission
Zika virus is transmitted to
people through the bite of an infected mosquito from the Aedes genus,
mainly Aedes aegypti in tropical regions. This is the same mosquito that
transmits dengue, chikungunya and yellow fever.
Diagnosis
Infection with Zika virus may be
suspected based on symptoms and recent history (e.g. residence or travel to an
area where Zika virus is known to be present). Zika virus diagnosis can only be
confirmed by laboratory testing for the presence of Zika virus RNA in the blood
or other body fluids, such as urine or saliva.
Prevention
Mosquitoes and their breeding
sites pose a significant risk factor for Zika virus infection. Prevention and
control relies on reducing mosquitoes through source reduction (removal and
modification of breeding sites) and reducing contact between mosquitoes and
people.
This can be done by using insect
repellent; wearing clothes (preferably light-coloured) that cover as much of
the body as possible; using physical barriers such as screens, closed doors and
windows; and sleeping under mosquito nets. It is also important to empty, clean
or cover containers that can hold water such as buckets, flower pots or tyres,
so that places where mosquitoes can breed are removed.
Special attention and help should
be given to those who may not be able to protect themselves adequately, such as
young children, the sick or elderly.
During outbreaks, health
authorities may advise that spraying of insecticides be carried out.
Insecticides recommended by the WHO Pesticide Evaluation Scheme may also be
used as larvicides to treat relatively large water containers.
Travellers should take the basic
precautions described above to protect themselves from mosquito bites.
The WHO alert puts Zika in the
same category of concern as Ebola.
