The internet giant has decided to join forces with Unicef to stem the Zika epidemic in South America. With the key, a million dollars to support actions in the field.
Google is committed to the fight against the Zika virus. This Thursday, the internet giant announced that it is joining forces with Unicef to raise awareness among the populations affected by the virus. The American company also made a donation of one million dollars to support the actions of the United Nations Children’s Fund.
A team of volunteer engineers, designers and scientists have already been made available to Unicef. They are currently working on the development of a platform analyzing thousands of data from different sources such as the weather or the flow of travelers to anticipate possible epidemics.
“Ultimately, the objective of this platform open-source is to identify the risk of Zika transmission in different regions and help Unicef, governments and NGOs decide how and where to focus their time and efforts, said in a statement Google.org director Jacquelline Fuller. This tool is designed for Zika but it could be used to deal with future emergencies.”
One million dollars
In addition, the donation of one million dollars should be used for the fight against the mosquito Aedes, vector of the Zika virus. This money should also be used for the development of rapid diagnostic tests and vaccines.
A call for funds from Google employees has also been launched, adds Jacquelline Fuller. The company hopes to raise an additional $500,000 for Unicef and the Pan American Health Organization.
In order to strengthen awareness and prevention campaigns among at-risk populations, Google is collaborating with popular Youtube members in South American countries.
Millions of cases
Since the spring of 2015, the Zika epidemic has spread to around thirty countries on the American continent and the Caribbean. Brazil, the most affected country, alone has more than one and a half million cases. The WHO expects 3 or 4 million cases in the Americas.
First considered a mild illness, Zika is now causing great concern for pregnant women. Since the beginning of the epidemic, more than 4,200 children have been born with microcephaly. Although the link between Zika and this congenital malformation has not yet been scientifically proven, Brazilian health authorities indicate that 641 cases of microcephaly are linked to Zika fever and 139 infants have died from it.
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