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Related: About this forumWHO: Zika virus ‘spreading explosively,’ ‘level of alarm extremely high’
Source: Washington Post
WHO: Zika virus spreading explosively, level of alarm extremely high
By Ariana Eunjung Cha and Lena H. Sun January 28 at 11:24 AM
The World Health Organization announced Thursday that it will convene an emergency meeting to try to find ways to stop the transmission of the Zika virus which officials said is "spreading explosively" across the Americas.
"The level of alarm is extremely high, as is the level of uncertainty. Questions abound. We need to get some answers quickly, " Margaret Chan, director general of the WHO, said in Geneva in a briefing for member countries.
Chan said that the situation today is dramatically different from last year because of the multiplying number of cases and the severity of the symptoms.
Health officials said 23 countries are affected by mosquitoes that are spreading the virus locally. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the United States has 31 confirmed cases in 11 states and the District of Columbia. All are travel-related, the CDC's Lyle Petersen said, and "this number is increasing rapidly." The country also has 20 additional cases because of local transmission in U.S. territories 19 in Puerto Rico and one in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
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By Ariana Eunjung Cha and Lena H. Sun January 28 at 11:24 AM
The World Health Organization announced Thursday that it will convene an emergency meeting to try to find ways to stop the transmission of the Zika virus which officials said is "spreading explosively" across the Americas.
"The level of alarm is extremely high, as is the level of uncertainty. Questions abound. We need to get some answers quickly, " Margaret Chan, director general of the WHO, said in Geneva in a briefing for member countries.
Chan said that the situation today is dramatically different from last year because of the multiplying number of cases and the severity of the symptoms.
Health officials said 23 countries are affected by mosquitoes that are spreading the virus locally. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the United States has 31 confirmed cases in 11 states and the District of Columbia. All are travel-related, the CDC's Lyle Petersen said, and "this number is increasing rapidly." The country also has 20 additional cases because of local transmission in U.S. territories 19 in Puerto Rico and one in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
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Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2016/01/28/zika-virus-who-announces-formation-of-emergency-committee-level-of-alarm-extremely-high/
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WHO: Zika virus ‘spreading explosively,’ ‘level of alarm extremely high’ (Original Post)
Eugene
Jan 2016
OP
Jesus Malverde
(10,274 posts)1. I'm scared.
Someone give me a hug....
HassleCat
(6,409 posts)2. Delay those kids!
People thinking of having children would be wise to put it off until the dust settles on this zika thing. Our public health agencies need to advise women about the risks of pregnancy, exposure to the virus, the odds of birth defects if exposed, and so on. Yes, there is always some unjustified panic when a new disease appears, but the bad effects of this one can be avoided with information and planning.
Jerry442
(1,265 posts)3. Free contraception for everyone?
Might actually be the most effective way of responding to the outbreak.
applegrove
(118,696 posts)4. Vibes.