NBC Bay Area : reported that Brazil Declares End to Zika Emergency After Fall in Cases

Brazil declared an end to its public health emergency over the Zika virus on Thursday, 18 months after a surge in cases drew headlines around the world. "The Health Ministry and other organizations involved in this area will maintain a policy of fighting Zika, dengue and chikungunya." The Health Ministry said those efforts have helped to dramatically reduce cases of Zika. From January through mid-April, the Health Ministry recorded 95 percent fewer cases than during the same period last year. In response to the outbreak, Brazil launched a mosquito-eradication campaign.

Brazil calls off Zika emergency

Brazil has informed the World Health Organization, citing "the decrease in cases of Zika and microcephaly throughout the country," the health ministry said in a statement. In November last year the WHO had lifted its own international health emergency status for Zika, which can cause babies to be born with microcephaly, or abnormally small heads. Brazilian health ministry official Adeilson Cavalcante said "the end of the emergency does not signify the end of being vigilant and providing assistance." The health ministry said that from January to April this year there had been 7,911 Zika cases, 95.3 percent down on the same period in 2016 when there were 170,535 cases. Measures to reduce the number of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which carry the Zika virus, as well as dengue and chikungunya, will remain in place.


collected by :Lucy William
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