Now mandatory to report Zika cases in Brazil
Brazil's government made it mandatory to report cases of Zika infection in Brazil. The announcement was issued Monday (Feb. 1) by the Health Ministry.
Currently, the ministry does not keep control over the number of patients who had the disease, and the health departments do not have to report all cases, since the limit number of laboratory to confirm diagnosis in Brazil is still low and also because in 80% of cases, the symptoms are not experienced.
The country adopts the sentinel diagnostics method for Zika. By this method, some cases of a region are tested in the laboratory and the following cases are confirmed by the symptoms. In November, the Brazilian government confirmed that the Zika virus infection in pregnant women could cause microcephaly in the fetus. However, not every pregnant woman affected by the disease will give birth to a baby with brain malformation. Microcephaly has a wide variety of causative factors, like infection by cytomegalovirus, toxoplasmosis, and rubella.
Also on Monday, the Health Ministry issued a statement in which it attached fundamental importance to the World Health Organization (WHO) declaration, entitled Public Health Emergency of International Concern over the Zika virus and its possible link to microcephaly and neurological syndromes.
Brazil decreed Emergency in National Public Health Importance, in November last year when the link between the virus and microcephaly was first discovered in the country.
Pronouncement
A real national fight against the Aedes aegypti mosquito, primary vector for Zika transmission, started last week in Brazil. Federal and state agencies will scour for mosquito breeding grounds.
In order to intensify the campaign, President Dilma Rousseff will make an announcement on national television and radio this week to ask the population to be engaged in the fight against the Aedes aegypti, also transmitter of dengue virus and chikungunya fever. The aim is to issue a "call" for the only possible prevention of spreading the disease, which is to eliminate the insect.
The president met with several ministers and CEOs of state-led companies yesterday to warn them that the entire government needs to be engaged in the fight against the mosquito and in the ongoing campaign.
Translated by Amarílis Anchieta
Fonte: Now mandatory to report Zika cases in Brazil
