At an emergency meeting Monday morning, the World Health Organization will decide if the Zika virus outbreak in Latin America should be rated a global health crisis.
The Guardian is reporting senior health experts, speaking before the Who meeting, are claiming the Zika outbreak could end up being worse than the Ebola epidemic.
Exclusive interview with Health Minister
And while WHO members are deciding how dangerous the Zika outbreak may be, News Daily is reporting Reuters had an exclusive interview with Brazil’s Health Minister, Marcelo Castro on Monday. Castro told Reuters Brazilian researchers are convinced the Zika virus is the cause of the over 3,700 confirmed and suspected cases of newborns with brain birth defects in the country.
During the interview, Castro also said, starting next week, local governments will start mandatory reporting of all cases of Zika because by then, most states will have laboratories set up to test for the virus. Brazil will also be following U.S. recommendations to prohibit blood donations from people who have been infected with the Zika virus.
Most people infected with the Zika virus are symptomless
Jeremy Farrar, head of the Wellcome Trust, voiced the same concerns as Dr. Castro, saying, “Most virus carriers are symptomless. It is a silent infection in a group of highly vulnerable individuals – pregnant women – that is associated with a horrible outcome for their babies.”
This raises questions among many people about the blood supply. If the disease doesn’t produce symptoms in 80 percent of the victims, does this mean every unit of blood drawn for donation will need to be tested first? This is just one of many considerations being discussed at the WHO meeting.
Mike Turner, the head of infection and immunobiology at the Wellcome Trust also voiced concerns over a Zika virus vaccine. There are vaccines under development, with the earliest trials possibly coming in late summer, as was reported in Digital Journal on Sunday.
“The real problem is that trying to develop a vaccine that would have to be tested on pregnant women is a practical and ethical nightmare,” Turner said.
Eradicating the Aedes mosquito
The mosquito responsible for spreading the Zika virus, Aedes aegypti, has been expanding its range over the past few decades. And this year’s El Nino has played a role in the spread of the virus. “It loves urban life and has spread across the entire tropical belt of the planet, and of course, that belt is expanding as global warming takes effect,” said Farrar.
The seriousness of the Zika virus outbreak should not be underestimated. Even though mutant mosquitoes are being bred to help in the eradication of the disease, it will still take many months for the project to be activated.
It is for this reason that Turner is actually suggesting that DDT be considered for use in eradicating the mosquito. “We have to balance the risk posed to the environment by DDT with the terrible impact this virus is having on the unborn.”
DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane), was one of the first chemicals used worldwide as a pesticide. And although its use was banned almost 40 years ago, we are still dealing with its long-term effects. According to the WHO, DDT is one of 12 pesticides recommended for indoor residual spray programs in countries where malaria is still persistent.
