Zika response accelerates as WHO Director-General visits Brazil

Dr Chan is visiting a hospital and clinical research centre in Recife, the capital of Pernambuco state where a significant number of pregnant women who contracted the Zika virus during pregnancy have delivered babies with microcephaly. The Professor Fernando Figueira Integral Medicine Institute (IMIP) is the National Referral Center for Mother and Child Care Programs and its outreach programmes support the health care needs of vulnerable populations in the favelas situated on the outskirts of the city. Last year, as Zika was spreading through northeastern Brazil, thousands of children with suspected microcephaly were born in the region. Though many causes of microcephaly exist, suspicion has focused on Zika because the incidence of such cases has increased in areas where the virus has taken hold. In addition, several countries, including Brazil, have increased reports of Guillain-Barré Syndrome, a neurological disorder that can result in paralysis.
Source: WHO news on Zika virus - Category: Infectious Diseases Tags: congenital anomalies [subject], birth defects, emergencies [subject], emergency preparedness, crises, emergency preparedness, neurology [subject], neurological disorders, brain disorders, spinal disorders, newborn [subject], newborn, newborn health, perin Source Type: news