Zika virus is a serious threat to the health of the international population
Be appreciative the only virus USD students are concerned about is influenza. Brazil, on the other hand, isnt’ so lucky. With the recent outbreak of the Zika virus, transmitted through infected mosquitoes, the World Health Organization has classified this epidemic as a global health emergency.
Travel alerts are already in effect for more than 20 countries.
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Even the United States had a taste of disease, discovering that it can spread sexually. Although Brazil has stated it doesn’t plan on canceling the Olympic Games scheduled for this summer, for the safety of the world, citizens and athletes included, Brazil should seriously reconsider.
Many are still unaware about what the Zika virus is. Spread mainly through mosquitoes, according to the CDC, one in five people infected with the Zika virus will become ill. There’s no vaccine to prevent it or specific medicine to treat infected individuals.
While death is rare and symptoms are manageable, including fever, rash and joint pain, the effects the virus has on developing fetuses is serious. Pregnant women infected with the Zika virus show a strong correlation with microcephaly, or below average head sizes due to underdeveloped brains.
Microcephaly is spreading at an alarming rate throughout Latin America, especially Brazil, with more than 4,000 infants recently born with the condition. We can’t downplay the effects of this virus.
Brazil has high hopes for hosting the Olympics this summer. Brazilian officials have only advised pregnant women should take caution, while athletes and others should develop antibodies within five days of being in Rio.
Health inspectors can now use force to identify and treat private buildings for any mosquito breeding grounds. These inspectors also examine the current site of the 2016 Olympics on a daily basis.
Brazil should keep in mind, however, that any hopes for increased tourism and revenue will probably not reach fruition if news about new cases and birth defects overshadow Olympic news. Many fans won’t risk their well-beings for a trip to Rio, losing the city and region $63.9 billion.
Additionally, the well-being of the majority of Brazil’s population isn’t receiving the care they need to stop the spread of the Zika virus. For Rio’s poorer people whose sewage goes untreated, 66 percent have lost hope that officials are implementing beneficial preventative measures. The poor sanitation of Rio slums only add to the risk of contracting Zika.
If Brazil and Latin America don’t take the necessary precautions now, this virus will spread globally. Imagine the number of people traveling to the region in the near future for Olympic festivities, coming back to their home countries and transmitting the virus on the greatest scale possible.
We’ve already seen glimpses of the virus in America, where it was sexually transmitted. This discovery alone shows our ignorance to the disease and our need to research it extensively while taking preventative and diagnostic responses accordingly.
Unless the world wants another Ebola epidemic on its hands, people need to be serious about any major medical threat. A few cans of bug repellant shouldn’t be the only precautions athletes and non-athletes alike need to take in this situation.
For the safety of all its people, the Brazilian government needs to be proactive and recognize a potentially devastating tragedy. If WHO director general Margaret Chan considers this an “extraordinary event,” Brazil, the International Olympic Committee and the entire world should treat it as such now before the situation worsens.
