Colombia Seeks Outside Help to Combat Zika Virus as 3,177 Pregnant Women Get Infected
By Reuters/PNA/Xinhua
Bogota – More than 3,100 pregnant Colombian women are infected with the mosquito-borne Zika virus, President Juan Manuel Santos said on Saturday as he sought outside help in combating the disease which is rapidly spreading across the Americas.
An American team of doctors and scientists will soon arrive in Colombia to help fight the disease, said Santos.
In a meeting with health authorities held Saturday in Bogota, the capital of Colombia, Santos said that the number of people infected by Zika virus in Colombia had reached 25,646, including 3, 177 pregnant women.
Colombian Health Minister Alejandro Gaviria also stated at Saturday’s meeting that there would be 600,000 and 700,000 people to be affected by the Zika virus in Colombia this year.
Santos said that the rapid increase had led him to ask US President Barack Obama for help. During a meeting in Washington D.C. Thursday, Santos briefed President Obama about the situation of the mosquito-borne epidemic in his country and requested help, to which Obama agreed.
Brazil is investigating the potential link between Zika infections and more than 4,000 suspected cases of microcephaly, a birth defect marked by an abnormally small head size that can result in developmental problems. Researchers have identified evidence of Zika infection in 17 of these cases, either in the baby or in the mother, but have not confirmed that Zika can cause microcephaly.
There are so far no recorded cases of Zika-linked microcephaly in Colombia, Santos said. The government is now uncertain about a previous projection for up to 500 cases of Zika-linked microcephaly, based on data from other countries battling the disease, he said.
Much remains unknown about Zika, for which there is no vaccine. An estimated 80 percent of those infected show no symptoms, and those that do have a mild illness, with a fever, rash, and red eyes.
“The projection is that we could end up having 600,000 cases,” Santos said, adding there could be up to 1,000 cases of Guillain-Barre syndrome, a rare neurological disorder that can weaken the muscles and cause paralysis. Scientists are studying a possible link between the disorder and Zika.
The Colombian government will be working across the country to fight mosquitoes – fumigating and helping families rid their homes of stagnant water, the president said.
The province of Norte de Santander, along the eastern border with Venezuela, had nearly 5,000 Zika cases, the highest in the country, an epidemiological bulletin from the national health institute published on Saturday showed. That province also had the highest number of pregnant women with Zika – nearly 31 percent of total cases.
Colombia’s Caribbean region, which includes popular tourist destinations Cartagena and Santa Marta, had more than 11,000 cases of the virus, according to the bulletin.
The government has said pregnant women with Zika are eligible to access much-restricted abortion services.
Many women struggle to find abortion providers even when they meet strict legal requirements and illegal abortions are widespread. On Friday, local media reported the first abortion because of Zika infection.
Colombia’s health minister, Alejandro Gaviria, has said he believes three deaths are connected with Zika.
NEW ZIKA CASES
Australia will step up testing of the mosquito-borne Zika virus in Queensland as new cases of the infection were registered, Queensland Health Minister Cameron Dick said Saturday.
Earlier this week, first cases of the Zika virus in Australia were confirmed in Sydney, New South Wales. Two other people tested positive in Queensland earlier on Saturday.
“Accelerating delivery of US$1 million [USD 706,000] public awareness campaign as 2nd Qld #Zika case confirmed,” Cameron Dick wrote in his official Twitter account.
According to him, Queensland is expecting more cases of Zika, as the northern part of state is inhabited by Aedes mosquitoes which can transmit the disease.
The intensified testing of residents for the Zika virus is set to be launched on March 1.