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Microcephaly is of international, concern not Zika virus- Dr. Ado Krow
The mosquito borne Zika Virus is not of international concern; it is the number of babies that are being
Dr. William Ado Krow
born with microcephaly that is worrying.
This is according to Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO)’s country representative Dr. William Ado Krow during a briefing yesterday.
He said that while there are a number of babies being born with small heads for a number of reasons every year, the number of microcephaly cases doubled in some countries by the end of last year.
While this condition has been linked to the Zika virus, Dr. Ado Krow said that further investigations are being conducted by the organization to determine what other factors are contributing to babies being born with small heads.
He said that Brazil at one time had over 5,000 suspected cases of the virus. Out of that amount, 500 pregnant women were tested positive but only 14 babies were born with microcephaly.
“There would be other things we cannot say for sure. We have to study more,” the health official stressed.
He added, “If say in Guyana every April, we have 10,000 cases of diarrhea. Next year April if you have 10,000 cases of diarrhea you will still be worried but it will not be a major issue for us because that’s a norm.”
There are five confirmed Zika cases in Guyana but none are pregnant women.
Zika, which is transmitted by the Aedes Aegypti, emerged in monkeys in the Zika forest in Uganda in late 1940s. It then spread across other parts of Africa, Asia and the Pacific Islands. Its emergence in the Americas occurred last May in Brazil, which presently has reported nearly 6,500 cases of microcephaly. Microcephaly causes babies to be born with deficient brain development.
Zika is now present in 23 countries and territories in the Americas. People can seek to prevent mosquito bites by wearing light coloured clothes that cover the body, arms and legs.
They can also help to protect themselves by applying insect repellents to exposed body parts and use household insecticide sprays, coils and candles to ward off mosquitoes.
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