Reinforced support. While the Zika epidemic continues to grow, Marisol Touraine is worried about pregnant women, particularly in the French West Indies. Traveling to Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe, the Minister of Health announced that pregnant women affected by the Zika virus in Guadeloupe, Martinique and Guyana will be able to benefit from additional ultrasounds reimbursed at 100% by Social Security. These examinations will be covered “without advance payment,” said the minister quoted by AFP.
At a time when health authorities are concerned about a possible link between the Zika virus and the risk of microcephaly (a congenital malformation) in infants, the minister is playing the card of prevention for pregnant women. “I decided to strengthen their care, she announced to AFP. And to specify:” Guadeloupe is in the pre-epidemic phase with close to 400 identified cases. “In detail, he was counted in the archipelago 35 confirmed cases and 389 patients “clinically suggestive” that is to say seen by a doctor.
Martinique currently has 6,000 “clinically suggestive” cases of Zika virus contamination. In Guyana, there are said to be 790 cases.
Clinical trials on vaccines within 18 months
It is in Brazil that the Zika virus is raging. More than a million and a half cases of Zika have already been identified since 2015. 583 cases of microcephaly have been observed in Brazilian infants since October 2015. The link between Zika virus and microcephaly has not yet been established, but experts from the The World Health Organization is expected to deliver their findings within a few weeks.
For the time being, no vaccine exists against the Zika virus. But clinical trials on treatmentscould start in 18 months.
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