The World Health Organization (WHO) has said that up to four million people could be infected with the Zika virus in the Americas by the end of this year.
The Zika virus is spread by mosquitoes. It has been linked to brain defects in babies. The current outbreak is primarily in the Americas, with Brazil being the worst affected country.
Brazil is due to host the Olympic Games this year. The disease seems to be threatening the Games. However, the head of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Thomas Bach, has said steps are being taken to protect the Games in Rio de Janeiro. The IOC is issuing advice on how to keep athletes and visitors safe in Brazil during the Games.
Director-General of the WHO, Dr Margaret Chan, said Zika had gone from a mild threat to one of alarming proportions. She revealed that WHO has set up a Zika emergency team, in response to the explosive spread of the virus.
In a statement to the executive board meeting of the WHO, Dr Chan outlined the measures that have been put in place so far to ensure the disease is brought under control.
“The level of concern is high, as is the level of uncertainty. Questions abound – we need to get some answers quickly. For all these reasons, I have decided to convene an Emergency Committee. I am asking the Committee for advice on the appropriate level of international concern and for recommended measures that should be undertaken in affected countries and elsewhere,” she said in the statement.
Observers have said it is likely that the Zika outbreak will be declared a Global Public Health Emergency. The last time an international emergency was declared, it was for the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, which killed more than 11,000 people. Shortly after the spread of the disease, critics blamed the WHO for not acting early enough to help stop the spread of the disease. The organization is therefore taking the necessary measures to avoid what happened during the Ebola outbreak.
Brazil first reported the Zika virus in South America in May 2015. The virus has since spread to more than 20 countries in the region. The WHO officials have estimated that between 500,000 and 1.5 million people have been infected with the Zika virus in Brazil.
The Zika virus is spread by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which also carries dengue fever and yellow fever. The disease was first detected in Uganda in 1947, but is now spreading in Latin America.
Scientists have also said there is growing evidence of a link between the Zika virus and microcephaly, babies born with abnormally small heads, and a rare nervous system disorder known as Guillain-Barre syndrome.
The BBC’s reporter, David Shukman, reporting from Recife in north-east Brazil, said doctors in the city have been overwhelmed by cases of microcephaly. He said one hospital in the city had gone from dealing with an average of five cases a year to 300 in the past six months.
Symptoms of Zika include fever and rashes, but most people show no symptoms. Currently, there is no known cure for the disease. The only way to fight Zika is to clear stagnant water where mosquitoes breed, and protect yourself against mosquito bites.
Meanwhile, the United States has said it will begin human vaccine trials for the disease by the end of this year. Officials from the National Institute of Health said they have two potential Zika vaccines in development.
The Centers for Disease Control also confirmed that there had been 31 cases of the Zika disease in the US. It further added that all the cases were linked to travelers who had returned from affected areas in South America.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpzdciQxH4c
“forces”
They designed it, so I guess they would know.
If the suggestion that humans only use a fraction of their brains is correct, in a fairly recent stage of our evolution a major part of it has become redundant. This being the case we can expect any previous abilities we once possessed will in time, become irrecoverable as our unused brain matter atrophies.
We are currently informed that the IQ ratings involving those parts of our brains still in use is steadily declining, and the fertility in men is also plummeting. If this truly is the case, is it beyond belief that the multiple assaults upon us, in the form of the willful contamination of our planetary ecology, the degradation of food, air,water, mandatory vaccinations and toxic medications in general, together with our enforced and senseless involvement in endless wars, are all deliberately contrived to accelerate these reversals in the human condition?
The obvious dumbing-down and decimating agendas we are experiencing daily, at the hands of an elite who clearly believe themselves to be more highly evolved than the rest of us , suggest that all new diseases together with their prescribed medications should immediately be regarded with the utmost suspicion. Any disease that, without the need of surgery, lobotomizes the children of the infected is surely one valued answer to a megalomaniacs prayers. Not to question the origin of any potential pandemic would be to confirm that our already challenged critical faculties are no longer functioning as they should.
IF that were true. It’s false that “we only use a small percentage of our brains”. A myth that has been spread around for long enough that some people believe it as truth and then start spreading it as truth. So, yes, this really is a big deal.
Quite disappointed to see Anon repeating and spreading misinformation. Just lost respect for Anonymous.
I agree with Sheridan there has NEVER been any proof that this virus leads to child deformity. It is another “Outbreak” that will make the Big Pharma produce more vaccines. I have read that all the Brazilian women were given the D tap vaccine whilst pregnant. Check THAT out!
I agree with you Greg. This shrunken brain syndrome coincides with the Tdap shot which was introduced in Brazil in early 2015. In the worst affected area, about 1% of newborns have suspected microcephaly. This means A LARGE NUMBER OF THE BABIES WHO DIED HAD NO ZIKA IN THEIR BRAIN.