Zika virus cases spread in Latin America, Caribbean - Rawan For Media Artistic and Production
Haiti,
Ecuador and Brazil have announced that they have been hit by an
outbreak of the Zika virus, a mosquito-borne ailment that causes birth
defects and is rapidly spreading through Latin America and the
Caribbean.
The
Zika virus is transmitted by Aedes species mosquitoes, which also
spread dengue and chikungunya viruses. Zika causes a mild illness with
fever, rash, joint pain and conjunctivitis, with symptoms usually
lasting under a week.
But
in pregnant women, the virus can spread to the fetus and cause brain
shrinkage - a rare condition called microcephaly that severely limits a
child's intellectual and physical development - or death.
Brazil has been the hardest hit, documenting more than 3,500 cases of microcephaly between October 2015 and January 2016.
Four
of those cases have recently been analysed, showing that babies were
infected with the Zika virus while they were in the womb and that it
reached their brains.
Two
of the cases involved miscarriages, and two of the babies died soon
after birth. The Brazilian government said on Saturday it was directing
funds to a biomedical research centre to help develop a vaccine against
the virus.
Ecuador confirms cases
Ecuador
said on Friday it has detected two new cases of the Zika virus in the
country. Officials had previously detected four people who arrived from
other countries with the disease. But this is the first time it has been
transmitted on Ecuadorian soil, said Veronica Espinosa, deputy cabinet
minister responsible for monitoring outbreaks.
"We
have now detected, confirmed by laboratory tests, the first two native
cases. That is, we now have cases of the virus being transmitted by
mosquito bites that happened in Ecuadoran territory," she told a press
conference.
First Haiti detection
Also
on Friday, Haiti's Public Health Minister Florence Duperval Guillaume
said there have been five confirmed cases of the Zika virus in the
country. All the cases are in the area of Port-au-Prince, the
overcrowded capital.
The
United States on Friday warned pregnant women to avoid travel to 14
countries and territories in the Caribbean and Latin America due to the
virus.
The
level two travel alert applies to Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, French
Guiana, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama,
Paraguay, Suriname, Venezuela and Puerto Rico.
Source: Agencies
Ecuador and Haiti report new cases of the mosquito-borne virus as Brazil directs funds for vaccine development.
Haiti,
Ecuador and Brazil have announced that they have been hit by an
outbreak of the Zika virus, a mosquito-borne ailment that causes birth
defects and is rapidly spreading through Latin America and the
Caribbean.
The
Zika virus is transmitted by Aedes species mosquitoes, which also
spread dengue and chikungunya viruses. Zika causes a mild illness with
fever, rash, joint pain and conjunctivitis, with symptoms usually
lasting under a week.
But
in pregnant women, the virus can spread to the fetus and cause brain
shrinkage - a rare condition called microcephaly that severely limits a
child's intellectual and physical development - or death.
Brazil has been the hardest hit, documenting more than 3,500 cases of microcephaly between October 2015 and January 2016.
Four
of those cases have recently been analysed, showing that babies were
infected with the Zika virus while they were in the womb and that it
reached their brains.
Two
of the cases involved miscarriages, and two of the babies died soon
after birth. The Brazilian government said on Saturday it was directing
funds to a biomedical research centre to help develop a vaccine against
the virus.
Ecuador confirms cases
Ecuador
said on Friday it has detected two new cases of the Zika virus in the
country. Officials had previously detected four people who arrived from
other countries with the disease. But this is the first time it has been
transmitted on Ecuadorian soil, said Veronica Espinosa, deputy cabinet
minister responsible for monitoring outbreaks.
"We
have now detected, confirmed by laboratory tests, the first two native
cases. That is, we now have cases of the virus being transmitted by
mosquito bites that happened in Ecuadoran territory," she told a press
conference.
First Haiti detection
Also
on Friday, Haiti's Public Health Minister Florence Duperval Guillaume
said there have been five confirmed cases of the Zika virus in the
country. All the cases are in the area of Port-au-Prince, the
overcrowded capital.
The
United States on Friday warned pregnant women to avoid travel to 14
countries and territories in the Caribbean and Latin America due to the
virus.
The
level two travel alert applies to Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, French
Guiana, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama,
Paraguay, Suriname, Venezuela and Puerto Rico.
Source: Agencies
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