The world is grappling with another virus which is giving sleepless nights to the health authorities. Zika. It’s a mosquito-borne disease – spread by the Aedes aegypti mosquito -- that is almost undetectably mild in adults but in pregnant women can cause terrible defects, especially brain damage, in their babies. There is no cure for the disease so far and none in sight, and secondly, it is spreading at an alarming rate. Colombia announced yesterday that more than 2,000 pregnant women in the South American country have been infected with the virus. The number makes Colombia the second most affected country in the region after Brazil, which has reported as many as 1.5 million cases of Zika infection.
Previous epidemics like Ebola were much easier to detect, though hard to get under control, but Zika is a silent virus. Like most mosquito-borne diseases, Zika is considered the disease of the poor because of their lack of access to healthy living conditions like running water, air conditioning and protective netting.
The virus has crossed the Pacific from Africa to South and Central America and threatens to spread north to the USA. Asia and Europe have so far been unaffected by the fever, but that is no consolation. The history of epidemics shows that it wreaks havoc all over the world – the health sector is thrown into chaos, the travel industry is hit badly as movement of people is restrained and governments struggle with the multiple consequences of the epidemic.
There is no need for panic in this case, but the facts are alarming. The World Health Organization warned this week that the virus is “spreading explosively” in the Americas, with three million to four million cases expected this year. What makes Zika more deadly and devastating compared to the previous viruses is that it affects newborns. It is believed to be linked to a surge in cases of microcephaly, a dreaded condition in which a baby is born with an abnormally small head and brain. Mothers whose babies are born with this condition are devastated and their lives ruined as there is no cure for the virus. Several governments are advising women to postpone getting pregnant for up to two years, but that is no consolation. Women in poor countries have no control over their pregnancy.
The global health community needs to be on high alert to prevent a spread of the virus before it gets out of control. Poor countries need to be given support and it’s time for coordination between the WHO and the health authorities. One WHO scientist has estimated that there could be three to four million Zika infections in the Americas over the next year.
The world is grappling with another virus which is giving sleepless nights to the health authorities. Zika. It’s a mosquito-borne disease – spread by the Aedes aegypti mosquito -- that is almost undetectably mild in adults but in pregnant women can cause terrible defects, especially brain damage, in their babies. There is no cure for the disease so far and none in sight, and secondly, it is spreading at an alarming rate. Colombia announced yesterday that more than 2,000 pregnant women in the South American country have been infected with the virus. The number makes Colombia the second most affected country in the region after Brazil, which has reported as many as 1.5 million cases of Zika infection.
Previous epidemics like Ebola were much easier to detect, though hard to get under control, but Zika is a silent virus. Like most mosquito-borne diseases, Zika is considered the disease of the poor because of their lack of access to healthy living conditions like running water, air conditioning and protective netting.
The virus has crossed the Pacific from Africa to South and Central America and threatens to spread north to the USA. Asia and Europe have so far been unaffected by the fever, but that is no consolation. The history of epidemics shows that it wreaks havoc all over the world – the health sector is thrown into chaos, the travel industry is hit badly as movement of people is restrained and governments struggle with the multiple consequences of the epidemic.
There is no need for panic in this case, but the facts are alarming. The World Health Organization warned this week that the virus is “spreading explosively” in the Americas, with three million to four million cases expected this year. What makes Zika more deadly and devastating compared to the previous viruses is that it affects newborns. It is believed to be linked to a surge in cases of microcephaly, a dreaded condition in which a baby is born with an abnormally small head and brain. Mothers whose babies are born with this condition are devastated and their lives ruined as there is no cure for the virus. Several governments are advising women to postpone getting pregnant for up to two years, but that is no consolation. Women in poor countries have no control over their pregnancy.
The global health community needs to be on high alert to prevent a spread of the virus before it gets out of control. Poor countries need to be given support and it’s time for coordination between the WHO and the health authorities. One WHO scientist has estimated that there could be three to four million Zika infections in the Americas over the next year.
