Brazil enlists army, cabinet in campaign against Zika

An army soldier distributes a pamphlet about the Aedes aegypti mosquito that spreads the Zika virus on the edge of the Copacabana beach, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Saturday, Feb. 13, 2016.

“We believe that we’ll have considerable success exterminating mosquitoes before the Olympics, but we need all of you”, Rousseff said.

Lee Suy said it will be better if the athletes will not be bothered by the threat of the mosquito-borne virus while they prepare for their competition.

But Brazilian authorities also say they have detected a spike in cases of microcephaly, a condition that leaves infants with unusually small heads and can result in brain damage and numerous developmental and health problems.

Meanwhile, the students of Maharashtra Institute of Medical Education and Research in Pune will be preparing a “case definition” on Zika virus to understand the current scenario in the state and bring in the control measures for the virus. The country has 462 confirmed cases of microcephaly and is investigating another 3,852 suspected cases.

There are so far no recorded cases of Zika-linked microcephaly in Colombia, the government has said.

Dr Taylor said the virus could be transmitted sexually and pregnant women or couples trying to conceive who have travelled in affected areas should watch out for symptoms.

More than 200,000 members of Brazil’s armed forces were deployed across the country yesterday to hand out millions of leaflets, in an effort to raise awareness about the Zika virus.

Similar to dengue fever, the Zika virus is transmitted to people primarily through mosquito bites, and common symptoms include fever frequently accompanied by a maculopapular rash, joint pain and conjunctivitis, as well as headaches, muscle pain or retro-orbital pain. Colombia alone expects up to 600,000 cases this year, the country’s president, Juan Manuel Santos, announced. More than two-thirds of the mosquitoes breed inside homes. The rate of Zika-infected persons has increased by 23% from last week’s figures and, more alarmingly, the rate of pregnant women who had the virus has increased by 57.8%.