WHO Declares Zika Virus a Global Health Emergency
Dear friends around the world,
This article is reproduced here to give you knowledge and educate you on something very lethal and deadly. Please read carefully. I am very concerned about this and many are suffering and will suffer. But let’s start with arming ourselves with knowledge. Om Mani Peme Hung.
Tsem Rinpoche
WHO director-general Margaret Chan addresses the media at the WHO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland on Monday.PHOTO: EPA
GENEVA/LONDON (REUTERS) – The World Health Organisation on Monday (Feb 1) declared the mosquito-borne Zika virus to be an international public health emergency as the disease linked to thousands of birth defects in Brazil spreads rapidly.
WHO director-general Margaret Chan told reporters an international coordinated response was needed, although restrictions on travel or trade were not necessary.
The emergency designation was recommended by a committee of independent experts to the United Nations agency following criticism of a hesitant response so far. The move should help fast-track international action and research priorities.
The WHO said last week the Zika virus was “spreading explosively” and could infect as many as four million people in the Americas.
The agency was criticised for reacting too slowly to the Ebola epidemic in West Africa which killed more than 10,000 people, and has promised to do better in future global health crises.
The WHO’s International Health Regulations emergency committee brings together experts in epidemiology, public health and infectious diseases from the Americas, Europe, Asia and Africa.
Brazil has reported nearly 4,000 suspected cases of microcephaly, in which infants are born with smaller-than-usual brains. The health ministry has linked the condition to Zika, although the connection is not yet definitive.
Brazilian Health Minister Marcelo Castro told Reuters that the epidemic was worse than believed because in 80 per cent of the cases the infected people had no symptoms.
As the virus spreads from Brazil, other countries in the Americas are also likely to see cases of babies with Zika-linked birth defects, experts believe.
The Pan American Health Organisation says that Zika has now spread in 24 nations and territories in the Americas.
FAQS ON ZIKA
Q What is Zika?
It is a disease caused by a virus transmitted by the Aedes mosquito. It was first detected in Zika Forest in Uganda in 1947 in a rhesus monkey, and in the Aedes africanus mosquito in 1948.
Very few cases of human infection were reported before 2007, when an outbreak occurred on Yap Island in Micronesia. Brazil has borne the biggest brunt of the disease so far, with an estimated one million people infected.
Q What are the symptoms?
The incubation period is likely to be a few days. The symptoms are similar to other mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue and chikungunya: fever, skin rashes, conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain, malaise and headache. Symptoms are usually mild and last between two and seven days.
Q Why are there outbreaks now?
Deforestation, increasing urbanisation and rising temperatures have encouraged mosquitoes to breed. With the high volume of travel across countries, the virus has a greater chance of getting imported as well.
Zika is new to the Americas, so the virus can spread quickly there to a big population of susceptible hosts who have no immunity to it. Latin America is also known to have a large number of Aedes mosquitoes.
In South-east Asia, there have been a small number of cases detected in Cambodia, East Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand in recent years.
Q How is it harmful?
When French Polynesia experienced an outbreak in 2013, instances of Guillain-Barre syndrome linked to the viral infection were reported, as well as a spike in microcephaly, a rare condition in which babies are born with abnormally small heads.
Evidence is mounting in Brazil linking the virus to microcephaly, while Colombia and Venezuela are both reporting a jump in cases of Guillain-Barre syndrome – a rare disorder that causes muscle weakness and temporary paralysis. Most people recover from it.
No Zika-related deaths have been reported so far, according to the World Health Organisation.
Q Is it likely to spread to Singapore?
The Health Ministry and National Environment Agency (NEA) say it is “inevitable” the virus will be imported into Singapore, given the high volume of travel by Singaporeans and tourists, and the presence of the virus in the region.
Aedes mosquitoes are also present in Singapore, making subsequent local transmission likely.
The NEA said it will boost vector control activities should a case be detected, while anyone found to have the disease will be admitted to a single room in a public hospital.
Q Is there a vaccine or a drug for Zika?
No, as the disease was rare and mild up until last year.
Those infected are usually advised by doctors to get plenty of rest and drink lots of fluids, while pain and fever are treated with available medicines.
Scientists are currently studying how to produce vaccines, but it could take five to seven years before one is commercially available.
Q How can you protect yourself?
The same way you would with dengue if you’re travelling to countries affected by Zika – wear long, covered clothing and apply insect repellant.
At home, take precautions to prevent mosquitoes from breeding.
Tan Dawn Wei
Sources:
World Health Organisation, Centres for Disease Control and Prevention
http://www.straitstimes.com/world/who-declares-zika-virus-a-global-health-emergency
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While I am reading this about Zika Virus, all over the world now are facing a highly contagious disease named Covid-19. WHO has declared it as pandemic. USA and Italy currently top the chart for number of persons contracted the disease. The reported death of Italians are by hundred daily. It’s so scary. I hope Rinpoche blog will be blogging about this one day. We were given the advice to chant Goddess Loma Gyonma daily while wearing Nagpo Guljor.
Interesting article for our knowledge of these deadly disease. Zika virus disease is caused by a virus transmitted primarily by Aedes mosquitoes, which bite during the day. Most people with Zika virus infection do not develop symptoms. Zika virus infection during pregnancy can cause infants to be born with microcephaly and other congenital . Zika virus transmission has been reported in recent years, the World Health Organisation has declared the mosquito-borne Zika virus a threat internationally. They had done a research that the disease were linked to thousands of birth defects and are spreading rapidly. From Brazil spreading to America , South-east Asia, Cambodia, East Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand in recent years. Its still spreading due to the present of Aedes mosquitoes with tourist travelling abroad. Good sharing as it gives us knowledge of this virus.
This is a very informative information. At the time of reading this article, Zika virus already spread to Malaysia and so far 3 person has been affected including 1 death.
This is saddening as the virus spread very fast and especially we are also in the midst of fighting against Aedes mosquitoes (which is a carrier).
I believe all this happens because of our interference of the nature such as deforestation which directly increase the work temperature. When the environment is not balance, other problem will arise. For example higher temperature will encourage more mosquitoes breeding.
I hope the vaccine for fight Zika virus will be produced very soon to help more people and to reduce the suffering of the babies infected with this virus.
It seems that Zika has spred much faster with urbanization, it just feels that with all the destruction of nature that is happening, nature seems to be fighting back. We really need to rethink our strategy and association with nature. We should not take so lightly human association with nature, and learn to respect it more. Brazil also happens to be a country that nature is being, decimated at an accelerated pace.
Diseases or sicknesses like dengue, malaria and etc that are caused by mosquitoes have become a huge issue in the modern world. It has become more and more common because we are turning our environment into a dumping site.
We throw rubbish anywhere and everywhere, directly contributing towards the reproduction of mosquitoes. As this Zika virus is becoming more prominent compared to the past, we have to be extra cautious with the environment and surroundings, must always make sure it’s clean so that mosquitoes do not have a breeding place.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing such inevitable information. It is sad that more and more of diseases are on outbreak due to the urbanisation and our so called development. may the diseases take no lives…. om mani padme num _()_
It’s good to read about this disease and know what it’s about. Death in inevitable at the end of the day. Whether we catch Zika, have a heart attack, stroke, cancer, have a fatal accident and so on, we die. If we think deeper, it’s just a different method of dying. How we die is dependent on our karma.
I believe that if our time is up, we can even die sitting down not doing anything.
Moral of the story is that life is very fragile. It’s so easy to die. So let’s not think that we have many more years to go. Let’s do what’s most important for now and future lives and let go of all the negativity that is holding us back.
谢谢仁波切为大家分享关于 ZIKA 这个病毒。
爱护家人的每一位也一起来看看， 预防胜于治疗。 大家小心提放咯 ！
1. 如果你已怀孕了，并打算前往以上国家…..
请延后你的行程，否则你可能诞下患有小头畸形的胎儿。
2. 如果你正在尝试怀孕……
如果没有打算前往上述国家，并无需大碍，不过还是得随时跟进有关Zika病毒的消息，提高警觉。
3. 如果你是男性，回国后妻子正试着怀孕……
如果男人去疫区旅行、被带有Zika病毒的蚊子叮咬，有可能会在后来行房时传播病毒，有2篇相关研究暗示可能有这种风险。有1名男子前往塞內加尔后感染Zika病毒，返国后在行房时将病毒传染給妻子。
研究人员目前还不确定Zika会留在精子里多久，也不清楚透过性行为传染的几率有多大，目前证据十分有限。英格兰卫生当局建议前往疫区的男性，返国后至少1个月都要戴保险套进行性行为，如果是有不明原因发烧或确诊罹患Zika病毒，必须戴保险套6个月，美国当局则认为证据不足，没有发布相关建议。
This Marks the fourth time the W.H.O. has declared a global health emergency, as Reuters said.Zika was said to have spread in 24 nations and territories in the americas already. Half the world’s population lives in areas where such mosquitoes are prevalent. WHO’s director-general cited, “First and foremost, the big concern is about “microcephaly,” the birth defect that causes babies to be born with abnormally small heads and improperly developed brains, a strongly suspected but not yet scientifically proven that “Zika causes microcephally”. Experts believed that environmental destruction, caused the horrific Zika virus to infect humans. Felling of trees, growth of cities and even increase in rubbish are factors behing its rapid proliferation. This had led several governmental concerns to issue travel warnings to pregnant women against visiting countries where the tropical fever has been detected. Officials from WHO have warned that the virus could spread to parts of Asia, and potentially southern europe. Fast track international actions and research prorioties are said to be in place to fight and stem the spread of this virus, thanks to WHO! Let us pray hard that all actions done and preventive measures taken are successful! Om Mani Padme Hung.
It has been reported today that the Zika virus can be sexually transmitted. There is already one such case in the U.S.A. Precautions must be taken so that this disease does not become pandemic.