The money will be given to UNICEF to help reduce mosquito populations, develop diagnostic tests and vaccines, and find ways to prevent transmission of the virus, the Associated Press reported. The open-source platform created by Google engineers, designers and data scientists will track the risk of Zika transmission in different regions and help UNICEF, world governments and NGOs decide how to allocate resources.
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Google is providing UNICEF with a $1 million grant and its own software engineers to help efforts concerning the Zika virus outbreak.
“There are many unanswered questions about sexual transmission of Zika, including the level of risk, whether asymptomatic cases can transmit the virus, and the period during which transmission can occur”.
“Unlike many other global pandemics, the spread of Zika has been harder to identify, map and contain”, says Google.
Health officials said a San Francisco resident is recovering after testing positive for the Zika virus last month.
The outbreak of Zika in Brazil, first detected previous year, has been linked to 4,863 confirmed and suspected cases of microcephaly, a condition defined by unusually small heads that can result in developmental problems. Public health experts are concerned the Zika outbreak could potentially lead to the infection of hundreds of thousands of people in Puerto Rico during 2016 based on past experience with dengue and chikungunya, which are transmitted by the same mosquitoes.
Founded in 2004, Google.org takes a uniquely Google approach to addressing current humanitarian issues, such as Ebola, the refugee crisis and natural disasters.
One person in the United States also got Zika by having sex with an infected man. Men who have traveled to Zika-affected countries should not have sex, or they should use condoms every time they have sex for one month after returning, officials said. It generally causes mild symptoms of fever, joint pain, rash and red eyes.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Brazil has reported that an increased number of people infected with the virus also have Guillain-Barré syndrome, an immune system disorder. She added that the search giant has made some updates to its products to make Zika information more accessible.
The company also announced it is working with YouTube creators in Latin America, including Sesame Street, to help raise awareness about Zika prevention through their channels.
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Google is also throwing some money towards the fight.
