Report says cost of Zika estimated at up to $18 billion according to : okcfox

(AP Photo/Arnulfo Franco, File)SAO PAULO (AP) — A new international report says the Zika virus epidemic may be imposing billions of dollars of costs on nations across the Americas. In February 2016, the World Health Organization declared Zika a global emergency, and epidemics have been reported in at least 70 countries. The report issued in New York Thursday by the U.N. Development Program and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies says the costs through 2017 alone are likely to total $7 billion to $18 billion. It says greater efforts are needed to control the Aedes aegypti mosquito that spreads Zika as well as dengue, chikunguya and yellow fever. The virus wasn't considered a major health threat until a 2015 outbreak in Brazil revealed that Zika can lead to severe birth defects.




UNITED NATIONS (CMC) — A new United Nations report has found that in addition to the impact on public health, the mosquito-borne Zika outbreak could cost the Latin American and the Caribbean region as much as US$18 billion between 2015 and 2017. The consequences of the virus can undermine decades of social development, hard-earned health gains and slow progress towards [achieving] the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)," she said. "The Zika virus has highlighted, once again, the critical role that communities and local health workers play during health emergencies," said IFRC Regional Director for the Americas Walter Cotte, highlighting that community engagement strengthens local partnerships, resilience and reduces stigma. "We must continue to promote coordination at all levels and strengthen the Red Cross' role as an auxiliary to public authorities," he said. The report titled "Socio-economic impact assessment of Zika virus in Latin America and the Caribbean" prepared by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) in partnership with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), has a particular focus on Brazil, Colombia and Suriname – countries that first reported the outbreak in October-November 2015.

Zika could cost region billions, says UN

UNITED NATIONS (CMC) — A new United Nations report has found that in addition to the impact on public health, the mosquito-borne Zika outbreak could cost the Latin American and the Caribbean region as much as US$18 billion between 2015 and 2017. The consequences of the virus can undermine decades of social development, hard-earned health gains and slow progress towards [achieving] the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), she said. The UN said the assessment also "clearly showed that the impact of the virus was felt the most in poorer countries". While larger economies, such as Brazil, could bear the greatest "absolute" burden, the most "severe" impacts are likely be felt in the poorest countries, such as Haiti, the UN said. The UNDP assistant administrator and director of its Regional Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean, Jessica Faieta, underscored the far-reaching impact the Zika virus would go, beyond tangible losses, such as to the gross domestic product (GDP), and could potentially impact the implementation of the 2003 UN Agenda for Sustainable Development.


collected by :Lucy William
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