Zika: Warning Over Possible Spread To
Europe
The UN's health agency says the
virus linked to birth defects is on the decline in Brazil - but could spread to
other areas.
The UN's health
agency has warned of the possible spread of the Zika virus to new parts of the
world including Europe - even as the outbreak declines in Brazil.
The World Health Organisation
warned Zika's range is likely to expand beyond Latin America and the Caribbean
as summer - and the mosquitoes that transmit the virus - arrive in the northern
hemisphere.
The organisation's assistant
director general Dr Marie-Paule Kieny told a conference in
Paris: "As seasonal temperatures begin to rise in Europe, two species
of Aedes mosquito which we know transmit the virus will begin to circulate.
"The mosquito knows no
borders."
Dr Kieny warned that
the added risk of sexually transmitted infection "could see a marked
increase in the number of people with Zika and related
complications".
She also said cooler temperatures
in the tropics and subtropics meant the outbreak in Brazil, which has been
hardest hit, was "clearly on the decline" - although she did not
provide numbers.
Scientists are in broad agreement
that Zika causes microcephaly, a form of severe brain damage in newborns,
and adult-onset neurological problems such as Guillain-Barre Syndrome, which
can cause paralysis and death.
But at the Zika conference - attended by 600 experts
from 43 countries - scientists expressed concern about gaps in knowledge about
the virus.
David Heymann, from
the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, told AFP: "We
can't make recommendations (for prevention) if we don't understand the full
potential of a virus or bacteria."
Describing Zika as a "global
emergency", Dr Kieny said the most urgent priority was for new tools
to quickly diagnose Zika - particularly among pregnant women.
Play
video "Tour Of Zika Breeding Ground"
She said particular vigilance was
required in Africa, where the virus was first discovered in Uganda in 1947.
For Europe, the risk is lower
because the mosquito Aedes albopictus, present in 20 countries in summer, is
less "prone" to causing outbreaks than its cousin A. aegypti in the
tropics, according to new research unveiled by the Pasteur Institute.
While cases of local transmission
are possible, the risk of a full-blown European outbreak "appears
low", French immunologist Jean-Francois Delfraissy said.
Citation:
"Zika: Warning
Over Possible Spread To Europe."
Sky News. 2016 Sky Uk, 25 Apr. 2016. Web. 25 Apr. 2016.
Response:
This article explains the potential the Zika virus has on spreading to Europe which may turn into a global crisis. One of the purposes of this article was to raise awareness on the Zika virus. The article achieved this purpose by answering this question. Even though early on the article assumes that its readers have some knowledge on the Zika virus, later the article defines what the Zika virus actually is. It explains the harmful effects of the virus such as it causing microcephaly, a form of brain damage. It then continues the to list the risks of it spreading to Europe as the Zika virus is mostly prevalent in South America. However, the tone of the article changes towards the end of the article. In the beginning the tone is more urgent regarding the Zika virus. The quote, "The mosquito knows no borders" implies that the spread of the virus is in fact critical. On the other hand, the tone of the article implies that the chances of the outbreak is very unlikely to happen. This article contains little to no bias because it accurately describes the current problem concerning the Zika virus.
This article explains the potential the Zika virus has on spreading to Europe which may turn into a global crisis. One of the purposes of this article was to raise awareness on the Zika virus. The article achieved this purpose by answering this question. Even though early on the article assumes that its readers have some knowledge on the Zika virus, later the article defines what the Zika virus actually is. It explains the harmful effects of the virus such as it causing microcephaly, a form of brain damage. It then continues the to list the risks of it spreading to Europe as the Zika virus is mostly prevalent in South America. However, the tone of the article changes towards the end of the article. In the beginning the tone is more urgent regarding the Zika virus. The quote, "The mosquito knows no borders" implies that the spread of the virus is in fact critical. On the other hand, the tone of the article implies that the chances of the outbreak is very unlikely to happen. This article contains little to no bias because it accurately describes the current problem concerning the Zika virus.
