Two new cases of the mosquito-borne Zika virus have reportedly been detected in two Australian patients who recently returned to Sydney from the Caribbean, though its unlikely the virus has established local transmission.
The recent cluster of microcephaly cases and other neurologic disorders reported in Brazil constituted a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Monday.
The New Zealand government on Tuesday said the World Health Organization (WHO) had taken the appropriate measure in declaring the Zika a public health emergency.
The World Health Organization declared the Zika virus and its suspected link to birth defects an international public health emergency on Monday, a rare move that signals the seriousness of the outbreak and gives countries new tools to fight it.
Australia and Pacific island countries are on high alert for the mosquito-borne Zika virus that has been linked to severe birth defects.
As public health officials warn that the Zika virus is swiftly spreading across the Americas, the search is on to develop a vaccine to halt the disease, which could infect as many as four million people by the end of the year and has been linked to severe birth defects.
More than 2,100 pregnant Colombian women are infected with the mosquito-borne Zika virus, the country's national health institute said, as the disease continues its spread across the Americas.
Nine New Zealanders have contracted the mosquito-borne Zika virus and one man is in hospital with the illness, the Ministry of Health said Friday.
The Zika virus, a mosquito-borne virus which is suspected of causing birth defects, has reached Europe with reported cases found in Britain, Denmark and Portugal.
The World Health Organization rang a global alarm over the Zika virus on Thursday, saying that the disease was “spreading explosively” in the Americas and that as many as four million people could be infected by the end of the year.
Portuguese authorities confirmed Wednesday five cases of the Zika virus have been diagnosed, according to the National Health Institute Doctor Ricardo Jorge (INSA).
President Barack Obama on Tuesday called for the rapid development of tests, vaccines and treatments to fight the mosquito-transmitted Zika virus
While there has not been any Zika virus cases detected in Singapore so far, the Ministry of Health (MOH) announced on Sunday (Jan 24) that it was monitoring the virus situation closely.
The ministry is also considering taking precautionary measures against the virus, which is spreading fast across Latin America and is suspected of causing birth defects.
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