A new threat? Zika virus – PLSC 359: Global Governance

Is there yet another new threat to the world? The media are beginning to inform about the Zika virus which draws the attention worldwide. The World Health Organization (WHO) announced a state of emergency on Monday, February 1, 2016 as an outcome of the session of Emergency Committee of WHO.

Zika virus causes fevers that last for a few days but the illness itself is mild overall. However, Zika is thought to be responsible for microcephaly which is a birth defect where a baby’s head is smaller than expected because the brain did not develop and grow properly during pregnancy. Nevertheless, the impact on the development of a human being has not been proven yet and David Heymann, the Chairman of the Emergency Committee considers it to be the key task to prove the connection between microcephaly and Zika virus.

Dr. Margaret Chan, the General-Director of WHO announced that a coordinated response of the international community is necessary and called upon states to take such measures to prevent the spread of the virus. The least that could be done is for pregnant women to consider postponing any travels to the regions that struggle with the spread of the virus, mainly Latin America. The American Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has also announced to make every effort to fight against the spread of Zika.

Zika is transmitted by a mosquito (Aedes aegypti species) but there are also some speculations that the might be sexually transmitted. However, there has not been any confirmed case or transmission from person
to person yet. CDC identifies countries of Latin America as territories with active Zika transmission but there have been cases of infected people all around the world, including the USA and several European countries (Great Britain, Denmark or Germany).

Resources:

http://www.cdc.gov/zika/

http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/birthdefects/microcephaly.html

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