International Hot

Source: Xinhua

Date: 14/02/16

Many countries have raised their alert levels or boosted their efforts against the Zika virus as scientists race to develop a vaccine for Zika, but the World Health Organization (WHO) says vaccines could come out in at least 18 months.

Brazil, the center of the endemic, has been scaling up its efforts, including mobilizing troops, to curb the spread of Zika since it declared a public health emergency in November.

The focus of fighting the virus has been on eliminating its carrier, the Aedes aegypti mosquito. As the Olympic Games are scheduled for August in Rio De Janeiro, controversies have risen over the risk of holding the Games in the city. Rio De Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes, however, brushed aside concerns for health risks on Friday (Feb. 12), saying the Zika virus is not a threat to the Olympic Games. 

The Brazilian Health Ministry has announced it would launch a national mobilization campaign to exterminate the Aedes aegypti mosquito in the country's 350 highly vulnerable cities. Brazilian Defense Minister Aldo Rebelo said the latest campaign will go house to house, reaching at least 3 million homes and distribute 4 million leaflets on Saturday.

So far, over 4,000 cases of microcephaly in newborns have been registered in Brazil. Out of those, over 400 have already been confirmed.

More than 500,000 people, including 222,000 soldiers, have been dispatched to help the mosquito eradication efforts in Brazil. They have already visited 23.8 million buildings nationwide, including private homes, public buildings and commercial properties. Up to now, the Zika outbreak reportedly has affected more than 30 countries.

Colombia's national health institute on Saturday (Feb. 13) reported a total of 31,555 cases of the disease in the country, including 5,013 pregnant Colombian women infected with the mosquito-borne Zika virus, which continues its rapid spread across the Americas.