[Courtesy of World Health Organization]
World Health Organization (WHO) warned the world to take Zika virus outbreak seriously. The Director-General of WHO, Dr. Margaret Chan said in an address on Thursday that the threat of the virus has gone from “a mild threat to one of alarming proportions.”
Zika virus, which is linked to an outbreak of birth defects in Brazilian children, had been known for decades, but was not taken seriously until an outbreak was spotted in the Pacific islands in 2007. The virus outbreak was spotted once again in the Americas in 2015.
The Director-General pointed out that the virus has now spread explosively across 23 countries. Dr. Chan said that there isn’t yet a direct link found between the virus and birth defects, but they are strongly suspected.
Dr. Chan will hold an emergency committee meeting on February 1 to discuss Zika situation.
Zika virus is spread to people through mosquito bites. Common symptoms of the virus are fever, rash, joint pain and conjunctivitis (red eyes), which lasts from several days to a week.
In May 2015, Pan American Health organization (PAHO) issued an alert regarding the first virus infection in Brazil. The outbreak in Brazil reports of Guillain-Barre syndrome, which attacks nerve system and pregnant women giving birth to babies with birth defects.
WHO suspects that the Zika virus is causing infected pregnant women to give birth to babies with microcephaly- babies born with unusually small heads and brain damage in infants. In October 2015, doctors noticed a surge in babies with the condition in northern Brazil.
Many health organizations worldwide are focusing their attention on Zika virus since it has no known vaccine. Pharmaceutical experts estimate at least 10 to 15 years will be required to develop vaccines.
As bad it is, there is no known cure for the virus. The governments in Ecuador, El Salvador, Colombia and Jamaica are recommending that women delay their pregnancies to avoid any possible birth defects.
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Park Sae-jin
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