More airlines offer Zika refunds to pregnant women

According to Margaret Chan, director general of the World Health Organization (WHO), “the level of alarm is extremely high, as is the level of uncertainty”.

The CDC says pregnant women should consider postponing travel to any area where the virus is being transmitted. The virus is spread through mosquito bites. “As of today, cases have been reported in 23 countries and territories in the (Americas) region”.

“A causal relationship between Zika virus infection and birth defects and neurological syndromes has not been established, but is strongly suspected”, the World Health Organization statement added.

The WHO says this viral outbreak should be considered a global emergency, but local physicians say the virus is not an issue in the states right now.

All of the cases involved people returning to the U.S. from countries where the Zika virus is spreading, she said.

It will also aim to identify priority areas for urgent research, Chan said, after US President Barack Obama called for swift action, including better diagnostic tests as well as the development of vaccines and treatments.

Zika, transmitted primarily through the bite of an infected Aedes species mosquito, is believed to cause birth defects such as microcephaly, or small heads.

Brazil has registered almost 4,000 cases of babies suffering from microcephaly, a serious condition linked to Zika that can cause lifelong developmental problems.

There is growing concern about the Zika virus, even here in Northeast Wisconsin.

The WHO predicts three to four million people will be infected with Zika in the Americas this year.

All health providers have been asked to report any cases of Zika.

“The federal government of Brazil will ensure all necessary resources, facilities and human resources to prevent and eradicate the mosquitoes which may spread the virus”. It is the main culprit of the zika epidemic as well as that of other viruses like dengue or chikungunya.

“The recent concern is two-fold: There have been cases reported in more nations compared to outbreaks prior to 2015”.

“We must use the dengue dynamics as the reference point – where you have the dengue outbreaks in the previous years, where the mosquito Aedes is present, you have a risk of Zika transmission“, said Dr Sylvain Aldighieri, WHO. As well, Air Transat says pregnant women with a medical note can reschedule or change destinations if they were booked to fly to countries that have been listed as having the virus. (It was traced to the Zika forest, hence the name.) Until a year ago, the Zika virus was mostly confined to Asia and Africa, but then it made the leap to the Western hemisphere. Other viruses are known to cause microcephaly if a pregnant woman is infected – rubella is the most notorious. Get rid of anything that may collect water because mosquitoes could breed in them.