However, Mexico, where cases of the virus are minimal, has said there was no justification for women in the country to avoid pregnancy. This causes severe developmental issues and sometimes death. Forty-nine of the babies have died.
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Danish hospital officials say a Danish tourist has been infected by the Zika virus after visiting southern and central America. But in my view it is only a matter of time before that becomes the case. The Zika fever virus, widespread in South and North America, has started conquering Europe, with reports of infected people coming Wednesday from Sweden and Denmark. None involve pregnant women.
There is no known antidote to the virus. The insect can also carry dengue, chikungunya and yellow fever.
How does Zika affect babies?
There have been only two documented cases linking Zika to sex. Both partners provided blood samples that later tested positive for the virus. The WHO advises that Zika “requires no specific treatment”, and says there is also no vaccine for the virus. Therefore, there is wide variation on reporting by member states.
Reflecting concern over the spreading outbreak, U.S. President Barack Obama called on Tuesday for the rapid development of tests, vaccines and treatments to fight the virus, which could spread to the United States in warmer months.
Brazil said it would roll out more than 200,000 servicemembers to help clean up mosquitoes in the worst-affected areas.
At the local hospital, Claudia Medina went to clear her doubts about Zika as she is 34 weeks pregnant. That precaution may be reasonable for expectant mothers he said, but others shouldn’t need to cancel travel plans to affected regions, as long as they take precautions to reduce their chances of being bit by a mosquito.
How, you ask? Well, there’s a possibility Zika can be spread via sexual contact. The female Aedes aegypti, the primary carrier of Zika, is an aggressive biter, preferring daytime to dusk and indoors to outdoors. But what is the government doing to prevent the coming Zika.
So far, there’s only one case of microcephaly in Colombia suspected of being linked to Zika. And many counties and other municipalities spray to kill mosquitoes, and are vigilant in trying to eliminate pools of standing water where the insects can breed.
Castro said that while the Aedes Aegypti mosquito has been in Brazil for decades, the country has never experienced an outbreak that has left devastating effects on its citizens. Each OX513A carries a fluorescent marker, so he can be tracked by scientists.
Beth Ranson, a spokeswoman for the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District, which has partnered with Oxitec for a proposed trial, said that before any altered bugs could be released there, the Food and Drug Administration must first complete an environment assessment of the project.
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But field trials in Brazil in 2011 were hugely successful, according to Oxitec, eliminating up to 99% of the target population. Christian Lindmeier, Castro’s peer in the World Health Organization (WHO), lfeels that it would be “too fatalistic” to deem the battle against the Zika virus a lost cause. Cases also have been reported in Puerto Rico. The peak season for mosquitoes in Brazil is in April.
