Saturday 6th February 2016- The Independent: Zika: Colombia links virus with three Guillain-Barre nerve disorder deaths

‘Colombian health officials have suggested there is a connection between the Zika virus, a rare nerve disorder and the deaths of three Colombians, as the disease continues to spread rapidly throughout the Americas.

The announcement, made on Friday, is the first time government health officials have directly blamed the mosquito-borne virus for causing deaths.’

‘Colombian Health Minister, Alejandro Gaviria, said: “There is a causal connection between Zika, Guillain-Barre and the death of three Colombians, one in San Andres and another two in Turbo, Antioquia.”

The three patients died last week after being treated at a clinic in Medellin, said the minister, Reuters reports.

The head of Colombia’s National Heath Institute, Martha Lucia Ospina, said. “We have confirmed and attributed three deaths to Zika.”’

‘“In this case, the three deaths were preceded by Guillain-Barre syndrome.”

Guillain-Barre is a rare disorder in which the body’s immune system attacks part of the nervous system. It is not usually fatal but can cause paralysis and muscle weakness.

Cases of the syndrome have increased in tandem with the Zika outbreak, sparking suspicions it is a complication of the virus, also blamed for causing microcephaly or brain damage in babies born to infected mothers.

However, scientists have not proven Zika causes either condition.’

Related Articles:

Zika: Colombia links virus with three Guillain-Barre nerve disorder deaths

Colombia links Zika to rare nerve disorder deaths- BBC News

Colombia confirms first three deaths of patients infected with Zika virus- The Guardian

Friday 5th February 2016- The Independent: Zika: Virus passed on during blood transfusions in Brazil

‘The mosquito-borne Zika virus has been passed on to two people via blood transfusions, according to health officials.

The two unrelated incidents are believed to be the first examples of the virus being contracted during the procedure. ‘

‘Zika is a relatively mild virus which does not cause symptoms in four out of five patients, however the World Health Organisation has labeled it as a global health emergency due it its suspected links to microcephaly – a condition believed to cause brain damage and the appearance of a shrunken head in babies.

A gun-shot victim and a transplant patient both tested positive for Zika after receiving blood transfusions from different donors, Brigina Kemp, a health official in the Brazilian city of Campinas, told The Associated Press.

Doctors at the University of Campinas hospital became concerned about Zika when the gunshot victim had abnormal blood work after spending months at the facility. During this time, he received transfusions from 18 donors between February and May 2015 when he died.

However, staff suspected that dengue was behind the abnormalities as the region was experiencing an outbreak at the time, according to Kemp. However tests showed the patient was negative for dengue and the blood was shelved.

When a transplant patient tested positive for Zika, tests proved that the gun-shot victim had also contracted the virus.

Days after giving blood, the donors were found to have suffered from Zika.’

See:

Zika: Virus passed on during blood transfusions in Brazil

Thursday 4th February 2016- The Guardian: Spain reports first known European case of Zika-infected pregnant woman

‘The health ministry in Spain said a pregnant woman who had returned from Colombia had been diagnosed with the Zika virus, Europe’s first known case of the mosquito-born virus this week declared a global health emergency by the World Health Organisation.

“One of the patients diagnosed in [the northeastern region of] Catalonia is a pregnant woman, who showed symptoms after having travelled to Colombia,” the health ministry announced on Thursday, adding she is one of seven cases in Spain and all are in good condition.

News of the virus, thought to cause birth defects, first emerged in Brazil last year, and health authorities have warned the disease could infect up to 4 million people in the Americas and spread worldwide.

The fever starts with a mosquito bite and normally causes little more than a fever and rash. But since October, Brazil has reported 404 confirmed cases of microcephaly, where the baby’s head is abnormally small – up from 147 in 2014 – plus 3,670 suspected cases.

The timing has fuelled strong suspicions that Zika is causing the birth defect. The virus has also been linked to a potentially paralysing nerve disorder called Guillain-Barre syndrome in some patients.’

Related Articles:

Spain reports first known European case of Zika-infected pregnant woman

Zika virus pregnancy case confirmed in Spain – first in Europe- BBC News

Zika: Spanish officials confirm pregnant woman in Catalonia infected with virus- The Independent

Wednesday 3rd February 2016- The Guardian: NHS stops people who have visited areas hit by Zika virus giving blood

‘People who have travelled to countries affected by the Zika virus will not be allowed to donate blood for four weeks after returning home, the NHS has said.

Zika has prompted the World Health Organisation to declare a public health emergency of international concern. It is spread by mosquitoes but there have been a handful of cases where the virus is believed to have been sexually transmitted, the most recent in Texas.

Amid fears that it is linked to thousands of cases in Brazil of the foetal deformation microcephaly, which causes babies to be born with smaller than normal brains, NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) announced on Wednesday that it was implementing “precautionary measures”.

A spokeswoman said: “The safety of the blood supply is paramount and it is important we implement any precautionary blood safety measures agreed here as a result of an increasing prevalence of infectious diseases found around the globe.

“From 4 February 2016, we will have a 28-day blood donation deferral for people looking to donate blood in England and north Wales who have travelled to countries where the Zika virus is endemic.’

Related Articles:

NHS stops people who have visited areas hit by Zika virus giving blood

Zika outbreak: NHS bans blood donations for 28 days after travel- The Telegraph

WHO warns against blood donations from people returning from Zika regions- The Guardian

Monday 1st February 2016- The Guardian: World Health Organisation declares Zika virus public health emergency

‘The World Health Organisation has declared that the clusters of brain-damaged babies born in Brazil – linked to but not proven to be caused by the Zika virus – constitute a public health emergency of international concern.

The declaration, made by the WHO director Margaret Chan, will trigger funding for research to try to establish whether the Zika virus, spread by mosquitoes, is responsible for the large numbers of babies born with abnormally small heads in Brazil. It will also put resources behind a massive effort to prevent pregnant women becoming infected and, through mosquito control, stop the virus spreading.

Chan called the birth of thousands of babies with microcephaly “an extraordinary event and a public health threat to other parts of the world”. She was speaking following a meeting of the WHO’s international health regulations emergency committee, summoned to advise the director general on whether to make the declaration, which calls in international resources and expertise.’

‘“Members of the committee agreed that the situation meets the conditions for a public health emergency of international concern. I have accepted this advice,” she said.

Chan, who was criticised for being slow to make a similar declaration while Ebola spread across west Africa, sidestepped the question when asked if she felt that was a factor in the response to the Zika crisis in Brazil.

“It is important to realise that when the evidence first becomes available of such a serious condition like microcephaly and other congenital abnormalities, we need to take action, including precautionary measures,” she said.’

‘Tropical disease experts involved in the Ebola epidemic applauded the declaration. “The WHO faced heavy criticism for waiting too long to declare the Ebola outbreak a public health emergency and they should be congratulated for being far more proactive this time,” said Dr Jeremy Farrar, director of the Wellcome Trust. “Today’s declaration will give the WHO the authority and resources it needs to lead the international response to Zika.”

Chan called for countries to refrain from imposing any sort of travel restrictions on those Latin American countries where the Zika virus is spreading.’

Related Articles:

World Health Organisation declares Zika virus public health emergency

WHO chief declares Zika virus as public health emergency – video- The Guardian

WHO Director-General summarizes the outcome of the Emergency Committee regarding clusters of microcephaly and Guillain-Barré syndrome- The World Health Organisation

 

 

Thursday 28th January 2016- The World Health Organisation: WHO to convene an International Health Regulations Emergency Committee on Zika virus and observed increase in neurological disorders and neonatal malformations

‘WHO Director-General, Margaret Chan, will convene an International Health Regulations Emergency Committee on Zika virus and observed increase in neurological disorders and neonatal malformations.

The Committee will meet on Monday 1 February in Geneva to ascertain whether the outbreak constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.

Decisions concerning the Committee’s membership and advice will be made public on WHO’s website.

Outbreak in the Americas

In May 2015, Brazil reported its first case of Zika virus disease. Since then, the disease has spread within Brazil and to 22 other countries and territories in the region.

Arrival of the virus in some countries of the Americas, notably Brazil, has been associated with a steep increase in the birth of babies with abnormally small heads and in cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome, a poorly understood condition in which the immune system attacks the nervous system, sometimes resulting in paralysis.

A causal relationship between Zika virus infection and birth defects and neurological syndromes has not been established, but is strongly suspected.’

See:

WHO to convene an International Health Regulations Emergency Committee on Zika virus and observed increase in neurological disorders and neonatal malformations

Tuesday 26th January 2016- BBC News: Zika virus: Outbreak ‘likely to spread across Americas’ says WHO

‘The Zika virus is likely to spread across nearly all of the Americas, the World Health Organization has warned.

The infection, which causes symptoms including mild fever, conjunctivitis and headache, has already been found in 21 countries in the Caribbean, North and South America.

It has been linked to thousands of babies being born with underdeveloped brains and some countries have advised women not to get pregnant.

No treatment or vaccine is available.

The virus was first detected in 1947 in monkeys in Africa. There have since been small, short-lived outbreaks in people on the continent, parts of Asia and in the Pacific Islands.’

Related Articles:

Zika virus: Outbreak ‘likely to spread across Americas’ says WHO

Zika virus likely to spread throughout the Americas, says WHO- The Guardian

Zika virus likely to spread across the Americas, states WHO- The Independent

Saturday 23rd January 2016- BBC News: Zika virus: Three Britons infected, say health officials

‘Three Britons have contracted Zika virus – which may cause severe birth defects – after travelling to South and Central America, officials have said.

The three people became infected with the illness through mosquito bites in Colombia, Suriname and Guyana, Public Health England (PHE) confirmed.

Pregnant women have been warned not to travel to countries where Zika has been reported.

The virus is not contagious and can be passed on through mosquito bites.

Zika “is not spread directly from person to person”, according to official guidance issued by PHE.’

‘However, the advice continues, “a small number of cases have occurred through sexual transmission or by transmission from mother to foetus via the placenta.”‘

‘What is Zika virus?

• It is spread by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which also carries dengue fever and yellow fever
• It was first discovered in Africa in the 1940s but is now spreading in Latin America
• Scientists say there is growing evidence of a link to microcephaly, that leads to babies being born with small heads
• While Zika virus can lead to fever and a rash, most people show no symptoms, and there is no known cure
• The only way to fight Zika is to clear stagnant water where mosquitoes breed, and to protect against mosquito bites’

Related Articles:

Zika virus: Three Britons infected, say health officials

Zika virus: Three returning UK travellers diagnosed- The Guardian

Zika virus diagnosed in UK as women face more warnings to delay pregnancy- The Independent

Friday 22nd January 2016- The Independent: Zika virus: El Salvador urges women not to get pregnant until 2018 in order to avoid birth defects

‘El Salvador has urged women to avoid getting pregnant until 2018 to avoid their children developing birth defects from the mosquito-borne Zika virus which has rampaged through the Americas.

The Zika virus is transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which is also known to carry the dengue, yellow fever and Chikungunya viruses. Health experts are unsure why the virus, which was first detected in Africa in 1947 but unknown in the Americas until last year, is spreading so rapidly in Brazil and neighboring countries.’

‘Reuters said that although research is still underway, significant evidence in Brazil has suggested a link between Zika infections and rising cases of microcephaly, a neurological disorder in which infants are born with smaller craniums and brains.’

‘On Thursday, El Salvador’s Deputy Health Minister, Eduardo Espinoza, said 5,397 cases of the Zika virus had been detected in the country in 2015 and the first few days of this year.

“We’d like to suggest to all the women of fertile age that they take steps to plan their pregnancies, and avoid getting pregnant between this year and next,” he said.

Official figures show 96 pregnant women are suspected of having contracted the virus, but so far none have had babies born with microcephaly.’

‘In Colombia, which has the second-highest Zika infection rate after Brazil, the government is also advising women to delay becoming pregnant, but only for six to eight months.

Meanwhile, in Brazil it was reported that the number of babies born with suspected microcephaly or abnormally small heads since October has now reached nearly 4,000. In the worst affected area, about one per cent of newborns have suspected microcephaly. ‘

Related Articles:

Zika virus: El Salvador urges women not to get pregnant until 2018 in order to avoid birth defects

Zika virus: women in Colombia, Ecuador and El Salvador advised to postpone pregnancy- The Telegraph

Thursday 21st January 2016- World Health Organisation: Zika virus infection – France – Saint Martin and Guadeloupe

‘On 18 January 2016, the National IHR Focal Point (NFP) for France notified WHO of the first laboratory-confirmed case of locally-acquired Zika virus in Saint Martin, an overseas department of France. On the same day, 1 autochthonous case of Zika virus infection was confirmed in Guadeloupe, another overseas department of France.’

‘The proximity of mosquito vector breeding sites to human habitation is a significant risk factor for Zika virus infection. Prevention and control relies on reducing the breeding of mosquitoes through source reduction (removal and modification of breeding sites) and reducing contact between mosquitoes and people. This can be achieved by reducing the number of natural and artificial water-filled habitats that support mosquito larvae, reducing the adult mosquito populations around at-risk communities and by using barriers such as insect screens, closed doors and windows, long clothing and repellents. Since the Aedes mosquitoes (the primary vector for transmission) are day-biting mosquitoes, it is recommended that those who sleep during the daytime, particularly young children, the sick or elderly, should rest under mosquito nets (bed nets), treated with or without insecticide to provide protection.

During outbreaks, space spraying of insecticides may be carried out following the technical orientation provided by WHO to kill flying mosquitoes. Suitable insecticides (recommended by the WHO Pesticide Evaluation Scheme) may also be used as larvicides to treat relatively large water containers, when this is technically indicated.

Basic precautions for protection from mosquito bites should be taken by people traveling to high risk areas, especially pregnant women. These include use of repellents, wearing light colored, long sleeved shirts and pants and ensuring rooms are fitted with screens to prevent mosquitoes from entering.

WHO does not recommend any travel or trade restriction to France and the overseas departments of France based on the current information available.’

See:

Zika virus infection – France – Saint Martin and Guadeloupe