Spread of Zika In the Americas - Wk 52 - Credit PAHO
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The Brazilian Ministry of Health has published their latest update on Microcephalic births, with the data valid through the second of January, bringing 2015's total to over 3,000 cases now under investigation.
Once again, we see an increase of just under 200 cases over the previous week.
In a normal week Brazil would expect to see two, perhaps three cases, but starting in October Brazil began seeing a massive increase in microcephalic birth defects (see WHO Update: Microcephaly In Brazil) which have run at rates more than 100 times greater than normal.
The current theory is that maternal infection during the 1st and 2nd trimester with the recently arrived mosquito-borne Zika virus is behind this sudden surge in birth defects, but hard evidence is still lacking and a conclusive link may take months to establish.
With Carnival only a month away, the Summer Olympics scheduled for August in Rio, and the rainy (read: mosquito) mosquito ramping up, there are great concerns over the future spread of this virus - both in Brazil and across the Americas (see Rio Worries Over A `Zika Summer').
This from today's update:
REPORT CARD
Amazonas State registered the first suspected case. Are under investigation 3,174 cases recorded nationwide
The Ministry of Health announced on Tuesday (5) the first epidemiological report 2016 about suspected cases of microcephaly related to Zika virus. The information refers to data until January 2. Since the beginning of the investigation have been reported 3,174 suspected cases of the disease in newborns of 684 municipalities in 21 Brazilian states. For the first time, it is being investigated a case in the state of Amazonas. Also under investigation 38 babies with microcephaly deaths possibly related to Zika virus.
The state of Pernambuco, the first to identify an increase of microcephaly, continues with the greatest number of suspected cases (1,185), representing 37.33% of the total registered across the country. Next are the states of Paraíba (504), Bahia (312), Rio Grande do Norte (169), Sergipe (146), Ceará (134), Alagoas (139), Mato Grosso (123) and Rio de Janeiro ( 118).
MOBILIZE NATIONAL - The Ministry of Health has gathered efforts to fight the mosquito Aedes aegypti, calling on the government and the population. The federal government has mobilized 19 ministries and other federal agencies to act jointly in this confrontation. Thus, visits to homes for elimination and vector control won the strengthening of military and community health workers, in addition to endemic agents already working regularly in these activities. The guidance is for this group to act even in the joint efforts of the organization.
In December, the Ministry of Health sent over 17.9 tons of Larvicide to the states of the Northeast and Southeast, totaling 114.4 tons for the whole country last year, enough to treat 57.2 billion liters of water . For this year, we have been acquired over 100 tons of the product, which ensures supply until June 2016.
To assist in the implementation of the National Plan to Combat microcephaly, it was set up the National Centre for Coordination and Control for Combating microcephaly. The aim is to intensify the mobilization to fight the mosquito Aedes aegypti, by monitoring and tracking of all actions at the national and local levels. They are also being installed state rooms, with representatives from the Ministry of Health, Departments of Health, Education, Public Security, Social Welfare, Civil Defense and Armed Forces.
ZIKA - Currently, the movement of the Zika is confirmed by PCR with molecular biology technology. From the confirmation in a particular locality, the other diagnoses are made clinically, for medical assessment of symptoms.
The Ministry of Health trained over 11 public laboratories to perform the diagnosis of Zika. Relying on the five reference units in Brazil for this type of examination, there are already 16 centers with the knowledge to perform the test. In the next two months, the technology will be transferred to 11 more laboratories, totaling 27 units prepared to analyze 400 samples a month from suspected cases of Zika across the country.
So far, they are with indigenous circulation of 19 states Zika virus. They are: Mato Grosso do Sul, Roraima, Amazonas, Para, Rondonia, Mato Grosso, Tocantins, Maranhao, Piaui, Ceara, Rio Grande do Norte, Paraiba, Pernambuco, Alagoas, Bahia, Espírito Santo, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and Paraná.
ORIENTATION - The ministry advises pregnant women that they keep monitoring and prenatal consultations, with the completion of all tests recommended by your doctor. The Ministry of Health reinforces the guidance of not consume alcohol or any other drugs, not use drugs without medical prescription and avoid contact with people with fever or infection.
It is also important that pregnant women adopt measures to reduce the presence of disease-transmitting mosquitoes by eliminating breeding sites, and protect themselves from mosquito exposure, keeping doors and windows closed or screened, wear pants and long-sleeved shirt and use repellents allowed for pregnant women.
(Continue . . .)
