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Zika virus outbreak
Topic Started: 16 Jan 2016, 02:02 AM (814 Views)
skibboy
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15 January 2016

Haiti hit with Zika virus outbreak: official

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© AFP/File | The Zika virus is a mosquito-borne ailment similar to dengue fever that is rapidly spreading through the Caribbean

PORT-AU-PRINCE (AFP) - Haiti's health ministry said Friday the country has been hit by an outbreak of the Zika virus, a mosquito-borne ailment similar to dengue fever that is rapidly spreading through the Caribbean.

Health Minister Florence Duperval Guillaume confirmed the outbreak at a press conference, saying that she too, was recovering from a bout of the illness.

"Even I fell ill," the minister said, although she did not have the diagnosis confirmed by testing.

A health lab in Trinidad and Tobago confirmed on Thursday that five out of 11 Haitian blood samples tested positive for the disease -- a finding suggesting that it could be rampant in this impoverished nation.

There have been no known fatalities from Zika, but the virus is of particular concern to pregnant women, because it can lead to birth defects and miscarriage.

Zika is spread by the Aedes genus of mosquitoes, some varieties of which also spread dengue virus, yellow fever virus and Chikungunya.

A female mosquito bites an infected person and then carries the virus to the next person she bites.

Symptoms, which usually are relatively mild, can include fever, rash, conjunctivitis and headache.

In more serious cases, they can include muscle pain, swelling and an itchy rash.

Haitian officials have been taken to task for what critics said has been a slow response to the outbreak.

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skibboy
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26 August 2016

US urges all donated blood undergo tests for Zika

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© AFP/File | The US Food and Drug Administration has revised a previous guideline issued in February that recommended active screening of donated blood only in "areas with active Zika virus transmission"

MIAMI (AFP) - All donated blood should undergo tests for the Zika virus, which can cause birth defects, US regulators said Friday, amid a mounting outbreak of the mosquito-borne virus in the United States.

"There is still much uncertainty regarding the nature and extent of Zika virus transmission," said Peter Marks, director of the Food and Drug Administration's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research.

"At this time, the recommendation for testing the entire blood supply will help ensure that safe blood is available for all individuals who might need transfusion."

The move revises a previous FDA guideline issued in February that recommended active screening of donated blood only in "areas with active Zika virus transmission."

But now, as evidence of sexual transmission mounts and those infected often show no symptoms, even stricter safeguards are needed across the nation, said the FDA.

"The FDA is updating its guidance after careful consideration of all available scientific evidence, consultation with other public health agencies, and taking into consideration the potential serious health consequences of Zika virus infection to pregnant women and children born to women exposed to Zika virus during pregnancy."

More than 2,500 people in the United States have been diagnosed with Zika, and more than 9,000 in the US territories such as Puerto Rico.

Most of those cases were brought in by people who were infected while traveling abroad.

But Florida announced last month its first cases of locally transmitted Zika, a number that is now above three dozen.

"Testing of donated blood is already underway in Florida and Puerto Rico, as well as in other areas, and it has shown to be beneficial in identifying donations infected with Zika virus," said the FDA.

"Expanded testing will continue to reduce the risk for transmission of Zika virus through the US blood supply and will be in effect until the risk of transfusion transmission of Zika virus is reduced."

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28 August 2016

Singapore reports 40 more locally transmitted Zika cases

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© AFP/File | Singapore reports 40 cases of the Zika virus contracted within the city-state, rather than imported from abroad

SINGAPORE (AFP) - Singapore on Sunday reported 40 more cases of locally transmitted Zika virus infections, most of them foreign workers at a construction site.

The government on Saturday reported its first case, that of a 47-year-old Malaysian woman residing in the city state.

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29 August 2016

Tapeworm drug stops Zika from replicating in lab: study

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© AFP/File / by Marlowe Hood | Transmitted mainly by mosquitos but also through sexual transmission, Zika can cause crippling birth defects in the foetuses of infected women

PARIS (AFP) - A common drug used to kill tapeworm prevented the Zika virus from replicating in lab experiments, scientists said Monday.

The medicine, Nicolsamide, was previously shown to be safe for pregnant women, which may boost its rapid deployment to treat Zika infection, they reported in the journal Nature Medicine.

"The findings should significantly advance current Zika virus research and have an immediate effect on the development of anti-Zika therapeutics," the team concluded.

Transmitted mainly by mosquitos but also through sexual transmission, Zika can cause crippling birth defects in the foetuses of infected women.

In adults, it can in rare cases lead to neurological problems such as Guillain-Barre syndrome.

To find medications that -- if found effective -- could be used quickly, the researchers scanned 6,000 compounds already approved by the US Food and Drug Administration or in clinical trials.

"In this sort of global health emergency, we don't have time to wait," said co-author Hongjun Song, a virologist at Johns Hopkins University.

The encouraging results have yet to be reproduced outside the laboratory, the scientists cautioned.

"There is no evidence yet that Nicolsamide is effective in the body," Song told AFP.

"Additional animal studies, and then human clinical trials, are necessary."

But the fact that the drug has proven safe in previous studies could drastically cut short that process, which often takes a decade or longer.

"This is a first step toward a therapeutic that can stop transmission of this disease," said senior author Hengli Tang, a professor at Florida State University.

The anti-tapeworm drug, in use for nearly half a century, could also be given to men and non-pregnant women exposed to the virus, both to reduce transmission and possibly to prevent other neurological problems caused by Zika.

The scan of 6,000 compounds turned up another class of drugs that prevented the virus from killing foetal brain cells, called neuroprogenitor cells.

- Health emergency -

One of these molecules currently in phase two (out of three) trials, called emricasan, protected the cells in a petri dish.

Emricasan is being vetted for treatment of hepatitis C, and has shown no adverse affects.

"Whether it is safe to use emricasan during pregnancy for Zika virus infection in humans will need to be evaluated in clinical trials," the study concluded.

The two kinds of drugs showed even greater benefits when used together, the study showed.

They also worked whether given before or after exposure to the virus.

In early March, the same research teams in Tallahassee and Baltimore collaborated to confirm what many experts had long suspected: Zika damages and kills nascent brain cells, causing a brain-wasting condition called microcephaly.

The virus has swept through Latin America, the Caribbean and beyond since 2015, prompting the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare an international public health emergency in February this year.

As of early August, 65 countries have reported mosquito-born transmission in the last 20 months.

On Saturday, President Barack Obama called on the US Congress to step up funding to combat the Zika virus, warning that delay is putting more Americans at risk.

More than 2,500 people in the United States have been diagnosed with Zika, along with more than 9,000 in Puerto Rico and other US territories, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Four out of five people who get Zika do not show any of the common symptoms, which may include fever, rashes, joint pain and red eyes.

by Marlowe Hood

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02 September 2016

2.6 billion people in Zika risk areas in Africa, Asia: study

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© AFP/File | Zika is primarily transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, and also by sexual contact

PARIS (AFP) - At least 2.6 billion people, over a third of the global population, live in parts of Africa, Asia and the Pacific where Zika could gain a new foothold, researchers warned Friday, with 1.2 billion at risk in India alone.

These are people who reside in as-yet unaffected parts of the world with the right climate and abundant mosquitoes for the virus to settle, spread and propagate an epidemic like the one besetting the Americas and Caribbean, they said.

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03 September 2016

Malaysia reports first locally transmitted Zika case

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© AFP | Zika, which is spread mainly by the Aedes mosquito, has been detected in 67 countries and territories including hard-hit Brazil

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) - Malaysia reported its first locally transmitted case of the mosquito-borne Zika virus on Saturday, news likely to add to fears of a full-blown outbreak in the tropical nation.

The patient was a 61-year-old male resident of the eastern Malaysian state of Sabah, the Ministry of Health said.

It said local transmission was highly likely because the man had no recent history of travelling outside Malaysia.

The statement came just two days after Malaysia reported the first Zika case on its soil -- a 58-year-old woman who is believed to have contracted it on a visit to neighbouring Singapore, where 150 cases have been confirmed.

A study published Friday in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal said at least 2.6 billion people could be at risk from the virus in mosquito-ridden parts of Africa, Asia and the Pacific.

Zika, which is spread mainly by the Aedes mosquito, has been detected in 67 countries and territories including hard-hit Brazil.

It causes only mild symptoms for most people such as fever and a rash.

But pregnant women who catch it can give birth to babies with microcephaly, a deformation marked by abnormally small brains and heads.

Malaysia already has struggled in recent years to control the spread of Aedes-borne dengue fever, and has been bracing for Zika after Singapore reported a surge in cases beginning a week ago.

"Zika cases are expected to increase further (in Malaysia), especially if prevention activities for Aedes are not seriously taken up by the community, individuals and other relevant agencies," the health ministry statement said.

Malaysia has stepped up screening of travellers from abroad, particularly Singapore, and fogging with mosquito-killing chemicals while urging the public to eliminate mosquito breeding sites such as stagnant water.

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03 September 2016

Scientists say Singapore Zika is Asian, cases reach 200

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© AFP | Singapore has a chronic problem with dengue, which is spread by the same Aedes mosquito that transmits Zika through bites

SINGAPORE (AFP) - Singapore on Saturday reported 215 cases of Zika infections as scientists in the city-state said the virus strain comes from within Asia and was not imported from Brazil.

The Ministry of Health and National Environment Agency said in a joint statement on Saturday evening that of the 26 new cases reported Saturday, 24 were linked to a cluster in the Aljunied district where the country's first locally-transmitted cases were reported.

The statement did not say where the other two cases were from.

A week after Singapore reported its first case of locally transmitted Zika infection, local scientists say they have completed genetic sequencing of the virus.

"The analysis found that the virus belongs to the Asian lineage and likely evolved from the strain that was already circulating in Southeast Asia. The virus from these two patients was not imported from South America," the statement said.

The Aedes mosquito-borne Zika, which has been detected in 67 countries and territories including hard-hit Brazil, causes only mild symptoms for most people such as fever and a rash.

But pregnant women who catch it can give birth to babies with microcephaly, a deformation marked by abnormally small brains and heads.

Malaysia on Saturday confirmed its first locally transmitted case of Zika infection in a man living in the eastern Malaysian state of Sabah.

This comes two days after the first case on Malaysian soil was reported in a woman who is believed to have contracted it while visiting her daughter in neighbouring Singapore.

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WHO strengthens Zika safe sex guidance

7 hours ago

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Men and women returning from any area where the Zika virus is circulating should practise safe sex for at least six months to avoid the risk of spreading the disease, says the World Health Organization.

The advice applies even if a person has no symptoms.

It comes a few weeks after doctors discovered the virus in the sperm of an Italian man six months after he first had Zika symptoms.

Zika is spread in bodily fluids.

The main risk of catching the disease is from infected mosquitoes via bites.

Previously, WHO had said men without symptoms only needed to use condoms or abstain from sex for eight weeks as a precaution against spreading Zika.

According to experts, once a person has been infected, he or she is likely to be protected from future infections.

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Zika can cause a condition called microcephaly in infants

Many people infected with Zika won't have symptoms or will only have mild ones - a fever, rash and muscle/joint aches.

Zika in pregnancy is the major concern because the virus can damage the unborn child.

Brazil has been the hardest-hit country in terms of Zika infections and there were some concerns about hosting the Olympics there for this reason.

There have been no reports of confirmed cases of Zika virus among people who attended the Games, both during and since their return.

According to the WHO, 11 countries have reported cases of sexually-transmitted Zika.

More than 60 countries and territories have continuing Zika transmission from local mosquitoes.

Public Health England said it was reviewing the WHO's new advice and would change its own guidance if necessary.

It said the risk to people in the UK remained very low.

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12 September 2016

Monkey discovery boosts Zika drug quest: study

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© AFP/File / by Mariëtte Le Roux | While the macaque never developed symptoms after being infected with Zika, the brain of its foetus stopped growing -- the first time this was observed in a lab animal, scientists wrote in the journal Nature Medicine

PARIS (AFP) - Scientists said Monday they had found a suitable animal model for testing new Zika drugs -- a monkey whose offspring suffers brain damage similar to human foetuses exposed to the virus.

One monkey, a pregnant pigtail macaque, was infected with Zika on day 119 of gestation -- equivalent to about 28 weeks of a normal 40-week human pregnancy, a team of US-based researchers reported.

While the animal never developed symptoms, the brain of its foetus stopped growing -- the first time this was observed in a lab animal, they wrote in the journal Nature Medicine.

"We were shocked when we saw the first MRI of the foetal brain 10 days after viral inoculation," said paediatrics professor Lakshmi Rajagopal of the University of Washington (UW) in Seattle, who co-authored the study.

"We had not predicted that such a large area of the foetal brain would be damaged so quickly."

The study also produced the first direct evidence of Zika virus crossing the placenta into the developing brain late in pregnancy, its authors said.

Zika is a virus spread mainly by mosquitoes, but in rare cases via sex.

In most people, including pregnant women, it is benign with mild or no symptoms.

But in an outbreak that started mid-2015, it has been linked to a form of severe brain damage called microcephaly which causes the heads of foetuses to be abnormally small, killing some and disabling others.

It likewise causes rare, adult-onset neurological problems such as Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS), which can result in paralysis and death.

More than 1.5 million people have been infected with Zika, mainly in Brazil, and more than 1,600 babies have been born with abnormally small heads and brains since last year, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

There is no cure or vaccine for Zika, and a suitable animal model had been lacking for testing potential therapies.

- Model monkey -

Unlike mice, gestation in macaques closely resembles that of humans in many respects.

"This is the first animal model that is sufficiently close to human pregnancy that we can feel confident that a successful therapy will also work in humans," co-author Kristina Adams Waldorf, also of UW, told AFP.

"This discovery is critical to accelerating research towards finding a vaccine or therapy that will completely prevent infection of the mother and also protect the foetus from foetal brain injury," she said by email.

The speed at which the virus moved in on the foetus, said the authors, made it clear that prevention, not cure, was the way to go.

By the time a pregnant women becomes aware she is infected -- if she notices at all -- her baby's brain may already be damaged.

In the macaque, the foetal brain stopped growing three weeks after infection, said the authors.

Had it survived, the foetus would have developed microcephaly in one more month.

"This is likely similar to the late-onset microcephaly that is being reported now in some infants in Brazil that are born with a normal head size, but then the head no longer grows and meets criteria for microcephaly after several months," said Adams Waldorf.

Mosquitoes are spreading the virus in seventy countries and territories, mainly the Americas and Caribbean, according to the WHO.

Twelve countries have reported sexual transmission.

Cases of microcephaly or other central nervous system malformations in babies have been recorded in 20 countries.

Tests with other macaques are ongoing, the researchers said, also at earlier stages of gestation.

by Mariëtte Le Roux

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Thailand confirms two cases of Zika-linked microcephaly

30 September 2016

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Thailand has reported almost 350 cases of Zika since January

Thai health officials have confirmed two cases of microcephaly, a severe birth defect linked to the Zika virus.

It is the first time in South East Asia that the disease has been linked to the condition, which causes abnormally small brains and heads.

Several countries in the region have reported Zika cases. The virus is transmitted by the Aedes mosquito which also spreads dengue and chikungunya.

The current outbreak of the disease was first detected in Brazil last year.

Cases have recently been reported across South East Asia.

"To summarise we have found two cases of small heads linked to Zika, the first cases in Thailand," said Prasert Thongcharoen, from the Department of Disease Control.

The WHO said these were first cases of Zika-linked microcephaly in South East Asia.

Thailand has confirmed about 350 cases of Zika since January - including 25 pregnant women - one of the highest numbers in the region.

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Zika virus highly likely to spread in Asia, says WHO

11 October 2016

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Singaporean authorities have been fumigating areas where mosquitoes breed

Zika infections are "highly likely" to keep spreading in Asia, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned.

Hundreds of cases of the virus have been reported in Singapore while two cases of Zika-linked microcephaly have already been confirmed in Thailand.

The mosquito-borne virus has been detected in 70 countries worldwide, at least 19 in the Asia Pacific region.

WHO director Margaret Chan said experts were still looking for ways to deal with the virus.

'New outbreaks'

In a report released on Monday at its annual meeting in Manila, the WHO said it is "highly likely that the region will continue to report new cases and possibly new outbreaks of Zika".

This is because the carrier of the disease - the Aedes mosquito - is widely found in the region, which also sees a high volume of travel.

There is also still uncertainty about the level of immunity in the regional population, the report added.

"Unfortunately, scientists do not yet have answers to many critical questions [about Zika]," Ms Chan said at the meeting.

Though the virus is known to have existed in Asia for decades, she noted that the first sign of its presence in some countries came from travellers whose Zika infections were only confirmed once they returned home.

"Is this weak surveillance, an indication of population-wide immunity, or proof that the virus has somehow acquired greater epidemic potential?" she asked.

Zika generally has mild effects but is more dangerous for pregnant women as it has been linked to severe birth defects, including the brain deformation microcephaly.

The latest large-scale outbreak originated in Brazil.

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13 October 2016

New Zika zone identified in Miami

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© Getty/AFP/File | People enjoy themselves along an open air shopping space on September 28, 2016 in Miami Beach, Florida

MIAMI (AFP) - Florida has identified a new area in Miami where the mosquito-borne Zika virus is being transmitted locally, in addition to a previously described zone in Miami Beach, officials said Thursday.

The new area spans about one square mile (2.6 square kilometers) in the northwestern part of the city, said a statement by Governor Rick Scott.

The Department of Health "has identified five people, two women and three men, in the new area," Scott said.

"Three live in this one square mile area. The other two either work in or have visited this area."

He said the confirmation of a fifth case came Thursday, meaning the area had met the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's "criteria for a new zone."

All five of the people infected are classified as having "non-travel related cases," which could mean they were bitten by mosquitoes carrying Zika in the area, or they were infected by sexual contact.

"Pregnant women are advised to avoid non-essential travel to the impacted areas in Miami-Dade County," said the Department of Health.

Florida has reported 1,021 cases of Zika, including 155 non-travel related infections and 106 infections involving pregnant women this year.

This summer, Florida became the first state in the continental United States to report the local spread of Zika when a cluster of cases was discovered in the arts district of Wynwood, north of downtown.

That area has since been declared clear of any mosquitoes that might be spreading Zika, and health authorities have credited aerial insecticide spraying for eliminating the infected mosquitoes.

The Zika virus is particularly dangerous to pregnant women because it can cause birth defects such as microcephaly, in which babies are born with unusually small heads and deformed brains.

Zika infection has also been linked to a nerve and immune disorder called Guillain-Barre syndrome.

In four out of five cases, Zika causes no symptoms at all.

Those who do report symptoms typically have a rash and body aches.

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Mosquito army released in Zika fight in Brazil & Colombia

By Smitha Mundasad
Health reporter

26 October 2016

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Aedes aegypti mosquitoes can spread Zika and dengue

Scientists are planning to release an army of millions of modified mosquitoes in areas of Brazil and Colombia.

They say the unusual approach is an attempt to provide "revolutionary protection" against mosquito-borne diseases such as Zika and chikungunya.

The mosquitoes are infected with a bug called Wolbachia which reduces their ability to spread viruses to people.

The $18m dollar project is funded by an international team of donors, including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

"Vaccinating mosquitoes"

The scheme - which aims to start in early 2017 - is also financed by local governments in Latin America, the US and the UK.

Wolbachia is a naturally occurring bacterium that infects 60% of insect species worldwide, but scientists say it does not harm humans.

The bug does not usually infect the Aedes aegypti mosquito - the species mostly responsible for spreading a host of diseases such as Zika, dengue fever and cikungunya.

But over the last decade researchers working for the Eliminate Dengue Program have found a way to inject the bug into Aedes mosquitoes.

And researchers say small-scale observational trials in Brazil, Colombia, Australia, Indonesia and Vietnam have shown that once released, the modified mosquitoes can cut the spread of dengue to humans.

It has been shown to do the same for Zika and chikungunya in laboratory-based tests.

Dr Trevor Mundel, of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, said: "Wolbachia could be a revolutionary protection against mosquito-borne disease.

"It's affordable, sustainable, and appears to provide protection against Zika, dengue and a host of other viruses.

"We are eager to study its impact and how it can help countries."

Researchers now plan to expand the trials to large urban areas in Bello in Colombia, other parts of Antioquia, and the greater Rio de Janeiro area in partnership with local governments.

Scientists say once released, the infected mosquitoes breed with uninfected ones, passing on the bug to future generations.

They will monitor the programme closely for the next three years, checking to see if cases of dengue fever, Zika and chikungunya fall.

Prof Scott O'Neill, of the Eliminate Dengue Program, told the BBC: "In the communities we have already worked with there have initially been two concerns.

"One was that the mosquitoes might harm them in some way or that there might be some unintended consequences.

"It is testament to our community engagement teams working really closely with communities to answer questions that all the communities we work with are fully supportive.

"We explained Wolbachia bugs are present in so many insects worldwide that millions of humans come into contact with them everyday with no problems.

"And in the six years we have been doing these trials there have been no problems."

'Resource competition'

Researchers say it is likely that the Wolbachia approach works in two ways.

According to Prof O'Neill, Wolbachia appears to boost the immune system of mosquitoes, making them resistant to viruses like dengue.

And Wolbachia may compete with dengue and Zika for resources essential to replication.

The viruses lose out and do not replicate as successfully, making it harder for them to be passed on when a mosquito bites a human.

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02 November 2016

Bolivia reports first 3 Zika-linked microcephaly cases

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© AFP/File | "Zika is here to stay in Bolivia for a number of years," said local health official Roberto Torrez

LA PAZ (AFP) - Bolivia has detected its first three cases of microcephaly caused by the Zika virus, local media reported Wednesday, citing health authorities.

Two babies were born with the birth defect in September and a third in October, said the director of the public health service for the department of Santa Cruz, Aida Aguilera, quoted by local newspaper El Dia de Santa Cruz.

She said the eastern region had registered 127 cases of Zika, including 57 pregnant women -- 16 of whom have yet to give birth.

"Zika is here to stay in Bolivia for a number of years," said local health official Roberto Torrez.

Zika is blamed for causing microcephaly -- or an abnormally small head size -- in babies born to infected mothers.

The World Health Organization declared an international public health emergency in February over the link between the virus and the debilitating neurological disorder.

Zika, which is mainly mosquito-borne but can also be sexually transmitted, has swept much of Latin America since first being detected in Brazil last year.

Bolivia confirmed in January that the virus was being locally transmitted there.

Santa Cruz department declared a "red alert" in March over a surge in cases.

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Florida vote on GM mosquito release

By Paul Rincon
Science editor, BBC News website

3 hours ago

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The non-native Aedes aegypti mosquito is a vector for the transmission of Zika

Residents in Florida are being asked to vote on a trial of genetically modified mosquitoes on US Election Day.

The tiny suburb of Key Haven has become the focus for a fierce debate between scientists and anti-GM opposition.

British biotech firm Oxitec wants to evaluate the effectiveness of their engineered mosquitoes for combating the rising threat of Zika virus.

The proposed release is being seen as an important test for the technology's acceptance in the US.

Zika is transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito; Florida has reported more than 1,100 cases this year.

A non-binding poll in Monroe County, on Florida's southern tip, will ask: "Are you in favour of the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District conducting an effectiveness trial in Monroe County, Florida, using genetically modified mosquitoes to suppress an invasive mosquito that carries mosquito-borne diseases?"

The county comprises the Florida Keys and a large part of the Everglades National Park.

Voters in Key Haven will be asked specifically about the release of GM mosquitoes in their town.

The idea is that Oxitec's male mosquitoes (which do not bite) mate with wild females, but genetic modification ensures that any offspring do not survive until adulthood. Successive releases over a 17-hectare region of the neighbourhood should cause Aedes aegypti populations to crash.

The Zika epidemic in South and Central America has been linked to birth defects - including microcephaly - and foetal death.

There have been fears that the virus could spread through the United States, from parts of Florida and Texas to Hawaii.

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In South America, Zika has been linked to birth defects, including microcephaly

Dr Derric Nimmo, who is leading Oxitec's proposed trial in Key Haven, told BBC News: "The [Florida Keys Mosquito Control District board] has done lots of surveys around the Keys showing 60-80% of people are in favour of the project. One of the board members asked for a non-binding referendum attached to this election to add to the others."

Aedes aegypti is an urban mosquito that can breed in bodies of standing water as small as a bottle cap.

Its larvae can find refuge indoors, beyond the reach of insecticide spraying programmes.

"Key Haven was chosen about four years ago, based on the fact that it's surrounded by water and it's an almost perfect scientific site where you have a control area where you don't do any releases, an area where you can do releases, and a buffer zone in between. You don't want wild female mosquitoes coming into the area, because they will affect the quality of the results," said Dr Nimmo.

In August, after reviewing the proposed trial, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published a finding of no significant impact (FONSI) - which gave Oxitec a regulatory green light.

Oxitec has previously conducted five trials in three different countries - the Cayman Islands, Panama and Brazil, where Dr Nimmo says, the company achieves reductions in mosquito populations of 90% or more.

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Dr Nimmo is heading up Oxitec's effort in the Florida Keys

"The aim is to get the same result in the Keys," said Dr Nimmo.

But a proportion of local residents want the trial cancelled; they are concerned about potential unanticipated consequences of releasing lab insects into the wild.

Mila de Mier, a Florida realtor who has founded an opposition group called Never Again, told BBC News: "When I first heard about the technology, I thought it was a really good idea... but as we began to learn more about it, the more questions we had.

"This technology is treated as an animal drug, but we believe it should be treated as a human drug."

She added her concern that "when you reduce the population of Aedes aegypti, another aggressive mosquito species could come in and become established - like the Asian tiger mosquito".

"There's not going to be any agency supervising this."

But Dr Nimmo stressed: "We've had six years of releases, involving millions of male mosquitoes, and there have been no reports of any adverse effects."

"It's important we're as transparent as possible... we've been trying to give people the facts and information so they can make an informed choice."

The results of the November 8 poll will be put to board members in charge of the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District, who will use the results to decide whether to proceed with the trial at a meeting on 19 November.

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Florida polls split on GM mosquitoes

By Paul Rincon
Science editor, BBC News website

9 November 2016

Voters across one Florida county have signalled their approval for releasing genetically modified mosquitoes in a bid to fight Zika virus.

But in a separate poll, the town where officials plan to carry out a scientific trial, voted to reject the proposal.

The planned release is being seen as an important test for the technology's acceptance in the US.

Florida has reported more than 1,100 cases of Zika this year.

British biotech firm Oxitec plans to evaluate the effectiveness of their engineered mosquitoes for combating the virus.

They want to release male insects across a 17-hectare region of Key Haven, a small suburb located on an island on Florida's southern tip.

Zika is transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito.

The idea is that Oxitec's male mosquitoes (which do not bite) mate with wild females, but genetic modification ensures that any offspring do not survive until adulthood.

Successive releases across the neighbourhood should cause Aedes aegypti populations to crash.

The non-binding poll in Monroe County, which covers the Florida Keys and a large part of the Everglades National Park, asked: "Are you in favour of the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District conducting an effectiveness trial in Monroe County, Florida, using genetically modified mosquitoes to suppress an invasive mosquito that carries mosquito-borne diseases?"

Voters in Key Haven were asked specifically about the release of GM mosquitoes in their town.

About 58% of voters across Monroe County favoured the trial.

But in Key Haven, some 65% opposed the release.

Now, the results of the November 8 poll will be put to board members in charge of the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District.

They will use the results to decide whether to proceed with the scientific trial at a meeting on 19 November.

Dr Derric Nimmo, who has been leading Oxitec's proposed trial in Key Haven, told BBC News: "Key Haven was chosen about four years ago, based on the fact that it's surrounded by water and it's an almost perfect scientific site where you have a control area where you don't do any releases, an area where you can do releases, and a buffer zone in between.

"You don't want wild female mosquitoes coming into the area, because they will affect the quality of the results."

Oxitec has previously conducted five trials in three different countries - the Cayman Islands, Panama and Brazil, where Dr Nimmo says, the company achieves reductions in mosquito populations of 90% or more.

Aedes aegypti is an urban mosquito that can breed in bodies of standing water as small as a bottle cap. Its larvae can find refuge indoors, beyond the reach of insecticide spraying programmes.

But a proportion of local residents wanted the trial cancelled; they have been concerned about potential unanticipated consequences of releasing lab insects into the wild.

Mila de Mier, a Florida realtor who has founded an opposition group called Never Again, told BBC News: "This technology is treated as an animal drug, but we believe it should be treated as a human drug."

She added her concern that "when you reduce the population of Aedes aegypti, another aggressive mosquito species could come in and become established - like the Asian tiger mosquito".

But Dr Nimmo stressed: "We've had six years of releases, involving millions of male mosquitoes, and there have been no reports of any adverse effects."

"It's important we're as transparent as possible... we've been trying to give people the facts and information so they can make an informed choice."

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Zika virus 'no longer an emergency' - WHO

2 hours ago

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Zika virus has been linked to microcephaly, which causes babies to be born with head and brain defects

The mosquito-borne Zika virus will no longer be treated as an international medical emergency, the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared.

By lifting its nine-month-old declaration, the UN's health agency is acknowledging that Zika is here to stay.

The infection has been linked to severe birth defects in almost 30 countries.

These include microcephaly, where babies are born with abnormally small heads and restricted brain development.

The WHO says more than 2,100 cases of nervous-system malformations have been reported in Brazil alone.

Although the virus is mostly spread by mosquitoes, it can also be sexually transmitted.

Few people die from Zika and only one in five people infected is thought to develop symptoms.

These can include fever, a rash and joint pain.

Dr David Heymann, the head of a WHO emergency committee on the virus, said it still posed a "significant and enduring" threat.

The WHO will now shift to a longer-term approach against the infection, which has spread across Latin America, the Caribbean and beyond.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Where did Zika come from?

It was first identified in monkeys in Uganda in 1947.

The first human case was detected in Nigeria in 1954 and there have been further outbreaks in Africa, South East Asia and the Pacific Islands.

Posted Image

Most were small and Zika has not previously been considered a major threat to human health.

But in May 2015 it was reported in Brazil and has since spread rapidly.

"Its current explosive pandemic re-emergence is, therefore, truly remarkable," the US National Institutes of Health said.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


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28 November 2016

Texas announces first local Zika case

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© Getty/AFP/File | An environmental health specialist points out an aegypti mosquito caught on a "mosquito trap" in April 2016 in McAllen, Texas

MIAMI (AFP) - Texas has announced its first case of local Zika virus, making it the second US state after Florida to say it likely has mosquitoes spreading the disease that can cause birth defects.

The case involves a woman who is not pregnant and has not recently traveled anywhere that Zika is spreading, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.

The case is considered "likely" a result of local transmission, until officials find evidence of mosquitoes carrying the disease.

The woman was "was confirmed last week by lab test to have been infected," said the statement.

"She reported no recent travel to Mexico or anywhere else with ongoing Zika virus transmission and no other risk factors."

Texas health officials said there are no other cases of suspected local transmission at this time, but vowed to continue surveillance.

"We knew it was only a matter of time before we saw a Zika case spread by a mosquito in Texas," said John Hellerstedt, Department of State Health Services commissioner.

"We still don't believe the virus will become widespread in Texas, but there could be more cases, so people need to protect themselves from mosquito bites, especially in parts of the state that stay relatively warm in the fall and winter."

Florida was the first state to report the local spread of Zika, and has reported 238 such cases as of last week, as part of more than 1,200 infections statewide so far this year.

The virus has swept mainly across Latin America and the Caribbean, and can cause birth defects if pregnant women are infected.

A series of brain and skull malformations are associated with Zika, including a condition called microcephaly, in which babies are born with unusually small heads.

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UK has 'first sexually transmitted Zika'

By James Gallagher
Health and science reporter, BBC News website

8 hours ago

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The first likely case of sexual transmission of the Zika virus in the UK has been reported by the authorities.

The woman has made a full recovery, and it is thought she had been infected by her partner, who had recently visited a Zika-hit country.

Mostly spread by mosquitoes, Zika can linger in semen for months.

Cases of sexual spread have been reported in other countries and experts said the UK case was "not unexpected".

An update by Public Health England said there had been 265 cases of Zika in the UK with one "likely" spread through sex.

Seven cases were in pregnant women.

While Zika is normally a mild infection, it can damage the development of a baby's brain, leading to microcephaly.

Prof Dilys Morgan, the Zika incident director at Public Health England, said: "PHE advises all male travellers regardless of symptoms to avoid conception and use condoms and other barrier methods during sexual activities for six months following return from a Zika high- or moderate-risk country."

Earlier this month the World Health Organization said Zika virus will no longer be treated as an international medical emergency.

By lifting its nine-month-old declaration, the health agency acknowledged that Zika was here to stay.

Prof Jimmy Whitworth, from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said: "News that one case of sexual transmission of Zika has occurred in the UK is not unexpected.

"About 60 cases of sexual transmission of Zika have been reported worldwide, so we think this is quite rare.

"Discovering just how common it is for the virus to be passed during sex by a man or woman is a key focus for Zika researchers.

"Public Health England's updated advice is also welcome.

"Zika virus survives in semen longer than other body fluids so recommending male travellers returning from Zika transmission countries, with or without symptoms, practise safe sex for six months is sensible."

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09 December 2016

Puerto Rico tourism resists Zika fears: official

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© Getty/AFP/File | Puerto Rico has recorded 32,848 Zika cases as of December 8, 2016

MIAMI (AFP) - Tourism in Puerto Rico is holding steady despite visitors' concerns about the outbreak of the Zika virus on the Caribbean island, the head of the official tourism agency says.

"Puerto Rico's tourism in 2016 remained extremely resilient despite a challenging year," said Ingrid Rivera Rocafort, executive director of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company.

Tourism in the US territory looks set to show modest growth after a record-breaking 2015, the PRTC said in a statement on Wednesday.

The positive response is partly due to the agency's "facts over fears" information campaigns about Zika, Rocafort said.

The viral disease can be spread by the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito or sexual contact.

The virus is linked to the birth defect microcephaly, which causes newborns' heads to be abnormally small, and rare adult-onset neurological problems such as Guillain-Barre syndrome.

The PRTC recommends visitors use insect repellent to avoid contracting Zika in Puerto Rico, which has more than 30,000 cases.

The campaign "was instrumental in informing and arming travelers with the facts about Zika for a worry-free experience on the island, mitigating the impact on an essential industry to the island's economy," Rocafort said.

Non-resident hotel registrations in the first nine months of 2016 were up 1.4 percent from the same period in 2015, according to the PRTC.

Tourism, which brings in nearly $4 billion to Puerto Rico's economy, is the first industry to exit the island's five-year recession, it said.

Puerto Rico had 32,848 Zika cases as of Thursday, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported.

In the continental United States, the CDC has registered 185 locally acquired cases of Zika, all of them in Florida except for one in Texas.

The virus outbreak, which began in mid-2015, has mainly swept across Latin America and the Caribbean.

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15 December 2016

Six percent of Zika pregnancies result in birth defects: study

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© AFP/File | The Zika virus can cause babies to be born with malformed brains and unusually small heads, a condition known as microcephaly

MIAMI (AFP) - About six percent of babies born in the United States to mothers infected with the mosquito-borne Zika virus while pregnant were born with birth defects, US researchers said Thursday.

The report by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

"CDC scientists used preliminary data from the US Zika Pregnancy Registry (USZPR) to estimate that six percent of completed pregnancies following Zika virus infection were affected by one or more birth defects potentially related to Zika virus infection during pregnancy," said the report.

A total of 442 women with possible Zika infection had given birth by September 22, and 26 of those pregnancies, or six percent, resulted in birth defects that may be linked to Zika.

Zika can cause babies to be born with malformed brains and unusually small heads, a condition known as microcephaly.

The rate of defects was higher -- 11 percent -- among women who were infected with Zika in the first trimester of their pregnancies.

"Zika poses a real risk throughout pregnancy, but especially in the first trimester," said CDC chief Tom Frieden.

"It's critical that pregnant women not travel to areas where Zika is spreading."

In four out of five cases, Zika causes no symptoms at all.

Those who do report symptoms may have a rash, headache or body pain.

"The proportion of pregnancies with birth defects was similar for pregnant women who did or who did not experience symptoms, about six percent in each group," said the report.

Eighteen infants were diagnosed with microcephaly, representing four percent of the completed pregnancies.

Typically, the US prevalence of microcephaly is 0.07 percent of live births.

Frieden said the study "shows that the rate of microcephaly and other fetal malformations related to Zika is similar among babies born in the United States - whose mothers were infected during travel to a dozen countries with active Zika transmission - to the estimated rate in Brazil," where the first spike in cases of microcephaly was seen last year.

The report cautioned that its estimates are preliminary and could rise, particularly in light of recent research that showed some Zika babies appear normal at birth but go on to develop microcephaly in their first year of life.

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01 February 2017

No women's Zika vaccine likely before 2020: WHO

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© AFP/File | Pregnant women with Zika risk giving birth to babies with microcephaly, a deformation that leads to abnormally small brains and heads

GENEVA (AFP) - About forty potential vaccines for the Zika virus are being tested, but none are likely to be available for women of childbearing age before 2020, the World Health Organization said Wednesday.

WHO director Margaret Chan said the virus, linked to deformations in babies' heads and brains, remained "firmly entrenched" in large parts of the world.

Although progress toward effective prevention has been made, with some drugs now in clinical trials, "a vaccine judged safe enough for use in women of childbearing age may not be fully licensed before 2020," Chan said.

The agency declared in November that Zika was no longer a public health emergency, though Chan said Wednesday that the WHO was setting up a new support programme for countries around the world.

The outbreak, which emerged in Brazil in 2015, has affected some 70 countries.

While Zika, spread by infected mosquitoes as well as by sexual contact, causes only mild symptoms in most people, pregnant women with the virus risk giving birth to babies with microcephaly, a crippling deformation that leads to abnormally small brains and heads.

In June, the WHO said $122 million (113 million euros) was needed to fund an 18-month plan to fight infections of women of childbearing age.

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04 April 2017

One in 10 US women with Zika had deformed fetus or baby

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© GETTY/AFP/File | A pregnant woman signs up for free Zika testing in Miami Beach

MIAMI (AFP) - About one in 10 women in the United States who were infected with Zika virus while pregnant had a fetus or baby with deformities last year, US government scientists said Tuesday.

The study released by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) tracked 250 pregnant women who had confirmed Zika infection in 2016.

Twenty-four of these women either had a fetus or baby with defects, said the CDC Vital Signs report, the first research of its kind to be released since the mosquito-borne virus made its way into the United States last year.

Zika can cause brain defects such microcephaly, an irreversible condition in which the child's brain and skull are unusually small and misshapen.

But even though some babies are born without any outward signs of defects, they may go on to show developmental delays, so researchers cautioned that their estimates may be lower than reality.

Zika infection may lead to an itchy rash but often causes no symptoms.

Its effects on the fetus were particularly acute when the virus attacked a woman in the first trimester of pregnancy.

"Confirmed infections in the first trimester posed the highest risk, with about 15 percent having Zika-related birth defects," said the CDC Vital Signs report.

Most of the cases involved women who acquired the virus while traveling outside the country.

Local cases of Zika have been reported in Florida and Texas, and the virus can also be transmitted through sex.

"Zika continues to be a threat to pregnant women across the US," said CDC Acting Director Anne Schuchat.

"With warm weather and a new mosquito season approaching, prevention is crucial to protect the health of mothers and babies."

The CDC continues to track pregnant women who may be infected with Zika, and the current count is about 1,600, Shuchat said.

Experts urge pregnant women to consider avoiding travel to places where Zika is spreading, to use condoms or practice abstinence with partners who have been in areas of active Zika transmission, and take steps to prevent mosquito bites.

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11 May 2017

Brazil calls off Zika emergency

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© AFP/File | Measures to reduce the number of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which carry the Zika virus, as well as dengue and chikungunya, will remain in place

RIO DE JANEIRO (AFP) - Brazil's government on Thursday declared an end to a national emergency over the Zika virus which was detected in the Latin American country late in 2015 before becoming a global concern.

Brazil has informed the World Health Organization, citing "the decrease in cases of Zika and microcephaly throughout the country," the health ministry said in a statement.

The health ministry said that from January to April this year there had been 7,911 Zika cases, 95.3 percent down on the same period in 2016 when there were 170,535 cases.

In November last year the WHO had lifted its own international health emergency status for Zika, which can cause babies to be born with microcephaly, or abnormally small heads.

Brazilian health ministry official Adeilson Cavalcante said "the end of the emergency does not signify the end of being vigilant and providing assistance."

Measures to reduce the number of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which carry the Zika virus, as well as dengue and chikungunya, will remain in place.

The Zika scare was at its peak before Rio de Janeiro held the 2016 Olympics, with countries around the world reporting an increase in infections.

Those infected typically suffer mild, flu-like symptoms and get better quickly.

In rare cases women infected while pregnant can give birth to children with severe defects.

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Did India hide its first cases of Zika virus?

Soutik Biswas
India correspondent

30 May 2017

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Zika is spread by the Aedes aegypti mosquito which is most active during the day

Did India conceal its first cases of the Zika virus?

On Friday, the World Health Organization (WHO) said India's health ministry had confirmed three cases of the mosquito-borne virus from the city of Ahmedabad in western Gujarat state.

Authorities in Gujarat said the cases were reported in a bustling neighbourhood between November 2016 and February 2017.

The infection has been linked to severe birth defects in almost 30 countries.

These include microcephaly, where babies are born with abnormally small heads and restricted brain development.

Although the virus is mostly spread by mosquitoes, it can also be sexually transmitted.

Even before the first official case of the Zika virus was registered in Nigeria, researchers concluded in a paper published in 1953 that "significant numbers" of people had been exposed to the virus in India.

A total of 33 of the 196 people tested for the new disease had immunity.

More than 60 years later, the three cases in India detailed in a statement by the UN health agency included two women, aged 22 and 34, and a 64-year-old man.

The 34-year-old woman delivered a "clinically well baby" on 9 November 2016; the 22-year-old woman was tested positive for the virus in her 37th week of pregnancy.

None of the three, according to reports, had travelled outside the country.

"The two pregnant mothers have delivered healthy babies and the 64-year-old senior citizen has shown no complications at all," JN Singh, the senior-most bureaucrat in Gujarat, told reporters at the weekend.

He also said the government "consciously did not go public with the cases" as the number of cases didn't rise.

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Zika virus has been linked to microcephaly, which causes babies to be born with head and brain defects

But there has been shock and consternation among many independent public health professionals and analysts on why the public was not informed of the cases immediately after they were detected.

"This is unprecedented in India's public health history. It is also disturbing and raises a lot of ethical issues. You have to take the community into confidence. You can do it without spreading panic. That is the job of a sound public health policy," Rajib Dasgupta, a professor in the community medicine department at Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University, told me.

For one, critics say, on 17 March, junior health minister Anupriya Patel, responding to a question in the parliament said, that "so far, only one-case of laboratory-positive Zika virus has been detected as part of a routine laboratory surveillance in January 2017".

The government was lying, they said, because the third - and final - case had been detected in January.

Robust protocol

A health official, however, defended the minister, saying "while two cases were picked up in January for testing and the third in February, only one confirmed case had been detected while [the minister was] replying to the parliament".

Nitpicking apart, many say it is surprising that the government decided to remain quiet for months about the first cases of a globally prevalent disease which is caused by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which also carries the dengue and chikungunya viruses, both widely prevalent in India.

They say it is surprising that the government, which gives regular public updates on dengue and chikungunya cases, decided to remain quiet about the Zika virus for months together.

This when India has, by all accounts, a fairly robust public health response protocol to tackling Zika.

A panel of top bureaucrats from different ministries regularly review the global situation on the virus.

International airports and ports display information.

Disease and vector control organisations help health officers monitor passenger arrivals at airports.

Since last year, 25 laboratories across the country have been beefed up for testing.

Three entomological - study of insects - laboratories are conducting Zika virus testing on mosquito samples.

Kits that test all the three pathogens - zika, dengue and chikungunya - simultaneously, developed and provided by the US-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, are being used widely.

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The first Zika cases in India have been reported from Ahmedabad city

More than 34,000 human samples and 12,647 mosquito samples have been tested for Zika.

Of these, close to 500 mosquito samples were collected from the Bapunagar area in Ahmedabad, where three of the positive cases were eventually found.

Microcephaly is being monitored from 55 sentinel sites - communities from where in-depth data is gathered.

But when it came to the first cases, the government intriguingly kept it a secret from people, and even the local authorities, including the municipal commissioner and the mayor of the city.

Interestingly, a senior medical officer of the local municipality told the news and current affairs website scroll.in that the federal Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) had actually stepped up surveillance in the city in January and February as a part "of a national exercise to control malaria".

'No mention'

"There was no mention of Zika virus or cases to us," the official said.

A journalist from the website who visited the Bapunagar area where the cases had been detected reported that local people were angry that they were kept in the dark about the Zika virus.

A local civic official, from the main opposition party Congress, wondered how could "the government not tell people that there is a new disease which is infecting people in the neighbourhood they live".

The government sticks to its position that it did not feel the need for a public announcement since there were no increase in the number of cases after surveillance was stepped up in the city.

Health workers fumigate in an attempt to eradicate the mosquito which transmits the Zika virus on January 28, 2016 in Recife, Pernambuco state, Brazil.

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Health workers have been working hard to eradicate the mosquito which transmits the Zika virus

But, as public health analysts say, local authorities should have been informed, so that they could have informed the local community and communicated it to the media.

"Risk communication and mitigation are vital. It's a mosquito borne disease. There are no magic bullets for mosquito control," says Dr Dasgupta.

So why did the government delay the announcement?

The local media has been reporting that the BJP-ruled government in Gujarat - Prime Minister Narendra Modi's native state - kept the news a secret because the state was hosting a major international business summit in January to woo investments.

The local government, of course, denies this.

"This is an insult to the public health community and media. The local community needs to be informed [about the prevalence of the virus] to protect themselves, their women and children. Travel advisories need to be put out to alert foreign visitors," Vidya Krishnan, health and science editor with The Hindu newspaper told me.

"The implications of not disclosing or delaying such information are scary. If India begins to conceal its disease burden and disease outbreaks, things can easily snowball out of control. It will lose face internationally," she adds.

Remember when China was accused of "covering up" the full extent of its Sars outbreak in 2003?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Where did Zika come from?

It was first identified in monkeys in Uganda in 1947.

The first human case was detected in Nigeria in 1954 and there have been further outbreaks in Africa, South East Asia and the Pacific Islands.

Posted Image

Most were small and Zika has not previously been considered a major threat to human health.

But in May 2015 it was reported in Brazil and since spread rapidly.

In November 2016, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that Zika will no longer be treated as an international medical emergency.

However, it said the virus still posed a "significant and enduring" threat.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


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08 June 2017

Zika birth defects in 5 percent of infected women in US islands

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© AFP/File | In November 2016, the WHO annouced that Zika no longer poses a world public health emergency, though it warned that the epidemic remains a challenge

MIAMI (AFP) - Five percent of women in the US territories who were infected with the Zika virus while pregnant had fetus or babies with defects, including microcephaly, government health data said Thursday.

The report by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention covered the US territories of Guam, American Samoa, the US Virgin Islands, Micronesia, the Republic of Marshall Islands and Puerto Rico.

The report is the first based on data from the US territories and the largest study of its kind to date.

CDC experts said the findings are consistent with previous findings about Zika cases in the mainland United States.

"Women in the US territories and elsewhere who have continued exposure to mosquitoes carrying Zika are at risk of infection," said CDC acting director Anne Schuchat.

"We must remain vigilant and committed to preventing new Zika infections."

The rate of birth defects was slightly higher -- eight percent, or one in 12 -- in women whose infections were confirmed early in the pregnancy, during the first trimester, said the report.

The findings were based on the cases of 2,549 women with possible Zika virus infection who completed their pregnancies.

Among these women, 1,508 had confirmed Zika virus infection from January 1, 2016 to April 25, 2017.

Over 120 pregnancies resulted in Zika-associated birth defects, including infants born with unusually small heads, an irreversible condition known as microcephaly.

Other complications in babies included seizures and problems with movement, coordination, eating and near constant crying.

Zika can be spread by the bite of infected mosquito or via sexual contact.

Pregnant women are urged to avoid areas where Zika is spreading.

Since Zika erupted on a large scale in mid-2015, more than 1.5 million people have been infected, mostly in Brazil and other countries in South America.

Some 70 countries have been impacted.

Zika may lead to an itchy rash and although it is dangerous for pregnant women and their fetuses, it often causes no symptoms in adults.

In November 2016, the World Health Organization announced that the Zika virus outbreak no longer poses a world public health emergency, though it warned the epidemic remains a challenge.

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