‘Losing battle’ against Zika mosquito virus

TWO major US airlines are offering refunds to passengers worried about the Zika virus as the first American resident tests positive.

United Airlines says customers booked to fly to areas affected by the virus can reschedule or get refunds. American Airlines says it will give refunds to pregnant women who were planning to travel to parts of Central America.

This comes after the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned pregnant women to take precautions against mosquito bites when travelling to areas in Latin America and the Caribbean where there have been Zika outbreaks. The CDC says the mosquito-borne illness could be linked to a birth defect of the brain.

Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs also warned against travelling to areas affected with the virus.

Meanwhile health officials have issued interim guidelines for health care professionals in the US caring for infants born to mothers who travelled or lived in an area with Zika virus transmission during pregnancy.

The guidelines call for paediatricians to work closely with obstetricians caring for women exposed to the Zika virus during pregnancy, monitoring foetal ultrasounds and testing infants with signs of a birth defect called microcephaly marked by small head size.

Battling the virus

Brazil’s health minister says the country will mobilise some 220,000 troops to battle the mosquito blamed for spreading a virus linked to birth defects, but he also was quoted overnight as saying the battle already is being lost.
Marcelo Castro said that nearly 220,000 members of Brazil’s armed forces would go door-to-door to help in mosquito eradication efforts, according to Rio de Janeiro’s O Globo newspaper. It also quoted Castro as saying the government would distribute mosquito repellent to some 400,000 pregnant women who receive cash-transfer benefits.