Brazil's president declares war on mosquitoes to slow spread of Zika virus

[zenitzz]

President Dilma Rousseff has said that Brazil must wage war against the Aedes aegypti mosquito that spreads the Zika virus, focusing on eliminating the insect’s breeding grounds.

Since September, Brazil has registered nearly 4,000 cases of babies with microcephaly, a condition linked to Zika infection in which children are born with an abnormally small head and a brain that has not developed properly.

The jump in cases has prompted a global health scare, with several countries cautioning pregnant women against traveling to the 22 nations in the Americas where the virus has been reported.

Without a Zika vaccine and with little known about the causes of microcephaly, Brazil has few options available for fighting the spread of the virus and the birth defect.

The mosquito thrives in dense tropical cities, and Rousseff called for the elimination of stagnant water spots where it lives and reproduces.

Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jan/27/zika-virus-brazil-war-on-mosquitos-microcephaly

[manis]

Zika is a danger and it must be contained locally. Kudos to the Brazilian president for taking measures to contain it.
The World Health Organization is discussing the explosive spread of this virus.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jan/28/zika-virus-spreading-explosively-says-world-health-organisation

[bryant.coleman]

Zika is a danger and it must be contained locally. Kudos to the Brazilian president for taking measures to contain it.

I am quite surprised. Dilma Rousseff has completely failed in preventing the spread of this deadly virus. She completely ignored the crisis in the beginning, when it was still possible to contain the outbreak. She woke up from her deep slumber only after hundreds of thousands of people were infected. Now it has even spread to the neighboring countries.

[xht]

Researchers Weigh Risks of Zika Spreading at Rio Olympics

RIO DE JANEIRO — With about 500,000 people expected to visit Brazil for the Olympics here this year, researchers are scrambling to figure how much of a risk the Games might pose in spreading the Zika virus around the world.

Infectious disease specialists are particularly focused on the potential for Zika to spread to the United States. As many as 200,000 Americans are expected to travel to Rio de Janeiro for the Olympics in August. When they return to the Northern Hemisphere and its summer heat, far more mosquitoes will be around to potentially transmit the virus in the United States.

Brazilian researchers say they believe that Zika, which has been linked to severe birth defects, came to their country during another major sports event — the 2014 World Cup — when hundreds of thousands of visitors flowed into Brazil. Virus trackers here say that the strain raging in Brazil probably came from Polynesia, where an outbreak was rattling small islands around the Pacific.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/29/world/americas/brazil-zika-rio-olympics.html?ref=world&_r=0

[vero]

I think they should all totally panic, demand to close the border to mosquitos and conveniently forget that the common flu and malaria kill millions every year.

[salinizm]

President Dilma Rousseff has said that Brazil must wage war against the Aedes aegypti mosquito that spreads the Zika virus, focusing on eliminating the insect’s breeding grounds.

Since September, Brazil has registered nearly 4,000 cases of babies with microcephaly, a condition linked to Zika infection in which children are born with an abnormally small head and a brain that has not developed properly.

The jump in cases has prompted a global health scare, with several countries cautioning pregnant women against traveling to the 22 nations in the Americas where the virus has been reported.

Without a Zika vaccine and with little known about the causes of microcephaly, Brazil has few options available for fighting the spread of the virus and the birth defect.

The mosquito thrives in dense tropical cities, and Rousseff called for the elimination of stagnant water spots where it lives and reproduces.

Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jan/27/zika-virus-brazil-war-on-mosquitos-microcephaly

Not only brazil but also rest of the world must take some precautions urgently asoon as possible because zika will destroy our infant babies..

[notbatman]

"When U.S. Environmental Protection Agency chief William Ruckelshaus was about to announce his decision to ban DDT in June 1972, he confided to a friend, "There is no scientific basis for banning this chemical --- this is a political decision."" -- Fusion Magazine, Nov '80 - page 52

[manis]

Zika is a danger and it must be contained locally. Kudos to the Brazilian president for taking measures to contain it.

I am quite surprised. Dilma Rousseff has completely failed in preventing the spread of this deadly virus. She completely ignored the crisis in the beginning, when it was still possible to contain the outbreak. She woke up from her deep slumber only after hundreds of thousands of people were infected. Now it has even spread to the neighboring countries.

Well, if no measures are taken now, it is at a risk of spreading across the world.
In an ideal world, she should have contained the outbreak right at the beginning.
Better late than never.

[bryant.coleman]

Well, if no measures are taken now, it is at a risk of spreading across the world.
In an ideal world, she should have contained the outbreak right at the beginning.
Better late than never.

The disease has spread to other countries in the Latin America. The first case was reported in April 2015 in Brazil. 2,782 cases of microcephaly has been reported from Brazil, till the end of 2015. A total of 33 cases have been reported till now from the United States. However, it is not clear how many of them contracted the virus in Brazil.

[xht]

Brazil’s Abortion Restrictions Compound Challenge of Zika Virus

Marina Leite arrived at a hospital from her rural village in February, 28 weeks pregnant and struggling to speak or breathe.

She was carrying double the normal amount of amniotic fluid, a life-threatening complication that, her doctors told her, stemmed from severe fetal deformities linked to the Zika virus.

A week later, Ms. Leite, 35, had an abortion.

“I followed my heart and my doctor’s advice for my survival,” she said.

In almost all circumstances, abortion is a crime in Brazil, punishable by up to three years in jail. But in Ms. Leite’s case, because of the risk to her health, the abortion was considered legal and the doctor was willing to perform it.

This video documents several challenges facing pregnant women and their doctors in a country where access to legal abortions is severely restricted, and where Zika has compounded fears about birth defects, adding a new layer of health complications. Some women have sought illegal abortions before knowing whether their babies had microcephaly.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/19/world/americas/zika-virus-abortion-brazil.html

[Evildrum]

Should just pull the plug on the Olympics as they have way to many issues going on and this Zika is scary shit.
Hard to fight the bugs in a tropical area.

[Catink]

They should transfer the olympic to a safer location. Until we have a vaccine we should deal zika virus like ebola. We should quarantined those places with known infection.

[designerusa]

Zika is a danger and it must be contained locally. Kudos to the Brazilian president for taking measures to contain it.

I am quite surprised. Dilma Rousseff has completely failed in preventing the spread of this deadly virus. She completely ignored the crisis in the beginning, when it was still possible to contain the outbreak. She woke up from her deep slumber only after hundreds of thousands of people were infected. Now it has even spread to the neighboring countries.

there are no words left to speak . you are definitely right. brazil is late for taking strict precautions over this zika virus problem but it has a little chance to get over this serious problem i guess.