Zika Emergency Declared Across Northern and Eastern Regions of Peru

Over 100 cases of Zika virus has been reported in Peru. The health officials have declared a Zika health emergency across the northern half of their country. The 90-day emergency was announced in the official gazette El Peruano, which said the health ministry and local authorities were working to prevent the spread of the disease, which is principally transmitted by mosquitoes.

The cases detected so far include 34 pregnant women. Zika is seen as a cause of microcephaly abnormally small heads and brains in babies.

A major Zika outbreak in neighboring Brazil, where nearly 1,600 babies have been born with the birth defect, has prompted concerns for athletes and visitors ahead of the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro next month.

There is growing evidence that in limited cases Zika can also be transmitted sexually.

In adults and children, it usually causes only mild, flu-like symptoms and a rash. But it has been linked to neurological problems such as a potentially fatal paralysis known as Guillain-Barre Syndrome.

Source-AFP