3 to 4 million Zika virus infections are expected in 2016 on the American continent. The epidemic is expected to “get worse before it gets better,” according to the WHO.
The threat is not about to go away. According to the Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Margaret Chan, the Zika epidemic “could get worse before it gets better”. She issued the warning during a visit to Brazil, where the number of cases continues to rise.
“We are working on a complicated virus, full of uncertainties, and we must therefore be prepared for surprises,” said the director general of the WHO. Despite the million and a half people infected since 2015, the epidemic remains poorly controlled. To date, experts have failed to establish with certainty a link to a growing birth defect in Brazil, microcephaly. It is suspected to occur in pregnant women infected with the Zika virus, transmitted by the mosquito.
Explosion of cases in 2016
Since October 2015, however, 583 infants have been born with a skull of too small a circumference. 120 died from it. But it will be several more weeks before the evidence is certain. The same is true for Guillain-Barré syndrome, a neurological complication that can result in paralysis or death.
“We have learned lessons from dengue and chikungunya in the past,” said Margaret Chan. The WHO director particularly praised Brazil’s efforts in terms of cooperation with international organizations. This work is intensifying with the preparation of the 2016 Summer Olympics, which will be held in Rio de Janeiro.
Despite everything, the WHO expects an explosion in cases of infection on the American continent. 3 to 4 million cases should be listed in 2016. The holding of the Olympic Games in summer should not favor the decline of the disease. Faced with Zika, only prevention is possible, because no treatment or vaccine is available. The first clinical trials will be launched in 18 months.
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