There were 150 cases of microcephaly, babies born with underdeveloped brains, reported in Brazil in 2010. Today, the number has skyrocketed to more than 4,000 as the Zika virus continues to spread rapidly. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared a medical emergency because of the devastation the Zika virus has caused. The international community must make coordinated efforts on a war-footing to spread awareness and contain the infection.
South America has been largely affected. A person in Texas was infected with the virus through sexual contact, the first such case reported in the United States. The incidence of the virus passing through blood transfusion and sexual contact is said to be rare, but there are fresh concerns now that it could spread faster. The WHO places the Zika alert in the same category as Ebola. There is no vaccine that prevents or cures people infected with Zika virus that is transmitted by the Aedes mosquitoes. Hence, efforts must also be made to contain the Aedes mosquito.
There was criticism that international efforts to fight Ebola were slow. When the world reacted to the threat, Ebola waned and consequently efforts to weed the virus out also slowed down. The latest Zika outbreak shows how vulnerable and unprepared we are as an international community. The medical emergency triggered by the virus has proved that we need long-term health plans to fight these contingencies. There is a human and economic cost also. The prime focus must now be on pregnant women in the affected areas because, if stung by a Zika virus-carrying mosquito, the new-borns could develop microcephaly. The world must act now.
