What Is The Zika Virus?

 

The World Health Organization says the Zika virus is “spreading explosively” in the Americas saying that as many as four million people could be infected by the end of the year.

A special meeting is planned for monday so the global health organization can decide whether to declare a public health emergency. They are moving fast to eradicate the disease, especially after the outbreak of Ebola earlier this year.

More than 20 countries have reported the Zika virus which is transmitted by mosquitoes and causes birth defects.

“The level of alarm is extremely high,” said Dr. Margaret Chan, the director general of the W.H.O..

The main concern is the growing number of cases of microcephaly, a rare condition that causes infants to be born with abnormally small heads and brain damage. Reports of microcephaly have spiked in Brazil and is thought to be a result of the Zika virus.

The government of El Salvador has advised women to refrain from becoming pregnant until 2018.

Health officials in the United States are reassuring americans, saying the the majority of those exposed never experience symptoms, and a widespread outbreak here at home is very low.

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“For the average American who is not traveling to this area, there is nothing they need to worry about,” said Dr. Anne Schuchat, principal deputy director of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.