In early February, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the
Zika virus a global health emergency, with the mysterious tropical
disease now sweeping across 28 countries in Latin America and the
Caribbean. The decision, considered an international distress signal,
likely will trigger an onslaught of aid and research to quell the
outbreak.
Though the vector-borne virus is largely asymptomatic, health experts
are most concerned by the emerging evidence linking Zika to
microcephaly, a severe birth defect resulting in underdeveloped brains
and abnormally small heads. Widely criticized for their sluggish
response to the 2014 Ebola crisis in West Africa, WHO officials decided
not to wait for months of scientific research to prove or disprove a
causal connection between Zika and microcephaly.
“After a review of the evidence, the committee advised that the
clusters of microcephaly and other neurological complications constitute
an extraordinary event and public health threat to other parts of the
world,” said WHO Director-General Margaret Chan.
One day after the WHO’s declaration, French-based drug developer Sanofi
Pasteur announced it had launched an effort to research a preventive
Zika vaccine. Sanofi created the first licensed dengue vaccine, and
plans to leverage its existing manufacturing capabilities, technology,
and experience to speed production.
But the development of a vaccination could still take years.
“It’s very difficult to predict a reliable timeline … given that we’re
learning so much about the disease and what we need to do,” said
Nicholas Jackson, a Sanofi researcher.
Even if drug makers are able to accelerate vaccine development,
clinical trials will be problematic. Testing the vaccine could require
the involvement of pregnant women and women of child-bearing age, two
groups scientists are traditionally reluctant to put at risk.
Brazil is at the epicenter of the outbreak, and Brazilian authorities
estimate the country could have up to 1 million infections by now. But
Zika’s essential lack of symptoms makes this impossible to verify.
“Eighty percent of the people infected by Zika do not develop
significant symptoms. A large number of people have the virus with no
symptoms, so the situation is more serious that we can imagine,”
Brazilian Health Minister Marcelo Castro told Reuters.
“Our big hope is finding a vaccine,” Castro added.
With Rio de Janeiro hosting the Summer Olympics just a few months from
now, likely attracting millions of tourists, Brazil’s government is
scrambling to address the Zika crisis.This week, the government deployed
220,000 army troops to combat the ubiquitous carrier mosquito, giving
troops permission to enter any public or private building to eradicate
standing water.
“As long as we don’t have a vaccine against Zika virus, the war must be
focused on exterminating the mosquito’s breeding areas,” said Brazilian
President Dilma Rousseff.
But since the mosquito can breed in a pool of water as tiny as a bottle cap, Rousseff’s plan may prove difficult to execute.
Will the Zika virus hit America? Health experts say it’s possible.
While there have been no transmissions of the disease within the United
States, the nation is hospitable to the carrier mosquito, and the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is preparing to address a
possible outbreak. WHO officials predict an estimated four million cases
of Zika infection in the U.S. by the end of 2016, but they do not
believe the disease will mimic Brazil’s wildfire epidemic spread, due to
the common use of air conditioning, window and door screens, and the
availability of mosquito repellent.
Courtesy: WORLD News Service
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