Zika no longer a global emergency

“All of Miami-Dade remains a yellow area and pregnant women are eligible for Zika virus testing”.

Among the infants, 11 later developed microcephaly.

Although steps have been taken towards the development of a Zika vaccine, it is not now available so people must take prevention into their own hands.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the Zika virus no longer represents a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).

While spread mostly by mosquitoes, Zika can also be sexually transmitted.

The current Zika outbreak started in Brazil in the spring of 2015.

Thirteen babies in Brazil born with normal head circumference have been diagnosed with congenital Zika syndrome, with brain scans showing extensive malformations, inflammation and reduced brain volume, researchers reported on Tuesday.

The health ministry says it is closely monitoring pregnant women who have been infected with the Zika virus.

Numerous children also developed other problems that have been linked to Zika, including epilepsy, problems swallowing, muscle weakness and inflexible joints.

Bill Talbert, CEO of the Greater Miami Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, said he couldn’t “think of a better Thanksgiving present for the community”, and for Art Basel, which is set to take place in the heart of the South Beach Zika zone next week. It stressed Friday that despite the “technical declaration” by the WHO, Zika infection continues to be a serious threat to pregnant women, babies born to pregnant women with Zika and their families. We are studying the full range of other potential health problems that Zika virus infection during pregnancy may cause. “Are we going to see a resurgence in Brazil, Colombia and elsewhere?”

Researchers have known that Zika infection can cause microcephaly, and can also cause brain defects even without the appearance of microcephaly.

Physicians commonly detect microcephaly, a condition affiliated with the Zika virus, when babies are in the womb or first born. She stated that, “A coordinated global response is needed to improve surveillance, the detection of infections, congenital malformations, and neurological complications, to intensify the control of mosquito populations, and to expedite the development of diagnostic tests and vaccines to protect people at risk, especially during pregnancy”.