Saudi Crown prince and Zelenskyy discuss Ukrainian-Russian crisis in phone call    Saudi Arabia rejects Israeli claims over map published by Israeli official accounts    Islamic Arts Biennale 2025 to witness first-ever display of full kiswah of Kaaba outside Makkah city    King Salman and Crown Prince offer condolences to Chinese president over earthquake victims    Saudi Arabia tops in venture capital investment, with SR2.8 billion, in MENA in 2024    GASTAT: Local vegetable production accounts for 80.6% of total supply    Energy minister: New law to build a legislative framework for Saudi energy sector    Saudi Arabia launches "Our Winter is Rural" initiative to promote rural tourism and sustainable development    KSrelief distributes relief aid in Syrian city    Iqama of dependents of expatriates and house workers can extend from outside Saudi Arabia    US accuses RSF of Sudan genocide and sanctions its leader    Oman aims for metro project by 2032, minister says    Trump Jr arrives in Greenland amid father's interest in seizing the island    Rajković shines as Al-Ittihad edge Al-Hilal in dramatic King's Cup quarter-final    Al-Qadsiah secures spot in King's Cup semi-finals with dominant win over Al-Taawoun    Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao arrive in Jeddah ahead of Spanish Super Cup semi-final    Saudi Arabia announces dates and venues for AFC Asian Cup 2027    Golden Globes 2025: France's 'Emilia Pérez' wins big, as 'The Brutalist' nabs major awards    Alabama nursing student wins Miss America 2025    Demi Moore continues comeback with Golden Globe win    Order vs. Morality: Lessons from New York's 1977 Blackout    India puts blockbuster Pakistani film on hold    The Vikings and the Islamic world    Filipino pilgrim's incredible evolution from an enemy of Islam to its staunch advocate    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



WHO says Zika virus spreads explosively, 4 million cases forecast
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 29 - 01 - 2016

* Zika linked to babies born with abnormally small heads
* WHO: virus could infect 3-4 million people in Americas
* Chan calls emergency meeting of experts for Monday
* WHO criticised last year over response to Ebola virus
Tom Miles and Stephanie Nebehay
GENEVA - The Zika virus, linked to severe birth defects in thousands of babies in Brazil, is "spreading explosively" and could infect as many as 4 million people in the Americas, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday.
Director-General Margaret Chan told members of the U.N. health agency's executive board the spread of the mosquito-borne disease had gone from a mild threat to one of alarming proportions. The WHO would convene an emergency meeting on Monday to help determine its response, she said.
"The level of alarm is extremely high," Chan told the Geneva gathering. "Last year, the virus was detected in the Americas, where it is now spreading explosively. As of today, cases have been reported in 23 countries and territories in the region," Chan said, promising quick action from the WHO.
The agency was criticized last year for reacting too slowly to West Africa's Ebola epidemic, which killed more than 10,000 people, and it promised to cut its response time.
"We are not going to wait for the science to tell us there is a link (with birth defects). We need to take actions now," Chan said, referring to the condition called microcephaly in which babies are born with abnormally small heads and brains that have not developed properly.
There is no vaccine or treatment for Zika, which is like dengue and causes mild fever, rash and red eyes. An estimated 80 percent of people infected have no symptoms. Much of the effort against the illness focuses on protecting people from mosquitoes and reducing mosquito populations.
Developing a safe and effective vaccine could take a year, WHO Assistant Director Bruce Aylward said, and it would take six to nine months just to confirm whether Zika is the actual cause of the birth defects, or if the two are just associated.
"In the area of vaccines, I do know that there has been some work done by some groups looking at the feasibility of a Zika virus vaccine. Now something like that, as people know, is going to be a 12-month-plus time frame," he said.
U.S. health officials said the United States has two potential candidates for a Zika vaccine and may begin human clinical trials by the end of this year, but there will not be a widely available vaccine for several years.
Marcos Espinal, head of communicable diseases at the Pan American Health Organization, the WHO's Americas arm, forecast 3 to 4 million Zika cases in the Americas.
As the virus spreads from Brazil, other countries in the Americas are likely to see cases of babies with Zika-linked birth defects, according to Carissa Etienne, regional director for the Pan American Health Organization.
Brazil has reported around 4,000 suspected cases of microcephaly, vastly more than in an average year and equivalent to 1 to 2 percent of all newborns in the state of Pernambuco, one of the worst-hit areas.
The WHO's Chan said that while a direct causal relationship between Zika virus infection and birth malformations has not yet been established, it is strongly suspected.
"The possible links, only recently suspected, have rapidly changed the risk profile of Zika from a mild threat to one of alarming proportions," she said.
Health and law expert Lawrence Gostin of Georgetown University in Washington, who had urged the WHO to act, welcomed Chan's decision to convene an expert meeting, calling it "a critical first step in recognising the seriousness of an emerging epidemic."


Clic here to read the story from its source.