and scientists found the virus in animals in other parts of Africa and in South and Southeast Asia Before 2007 there had been only 14 confirmed cases of Zika in humans Between 2007 and 2013 infected mosquitoes and infected people were found on one island after another throughout the Pacific Ocean These islands included Yap island in the Federated States of Micronesia and various islands in French Polynesia As the virus moved across the Pacific more and more people got sick Some such as de Miranda's father developed Guillain Barré syndrome Many others had only the typical Zika symptoms fever headache and a variety of aches and pains Doctors and scientists realized how serious the Zika virus could be in early 2015 when it was confirmed to have reached the Americas Between 3 and 4 million people in the Americas contracted the virus in just nine months Many cases of the illness were mild and most people recovered from them But because there were now so many infections overall the risk of birth defects and other neurological complications became apparent It was estimated that among women who develop the virus during the first three months of their pregnancies 1 in 100
will give birth to a baby with these issues By January 2016 approximately 4 000 children in the Americas had been born with Zika related birth defects PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY VIRUSES AND BIRTH DEFECTS The Zika virus is one of several viruses that can affect the brain of a developing infant A fetus or a developing embryo does not have a fully formed immune system to fight off the Zika virus As the virus grows and spreads it interferes with the growth of cells in the fetus It often affects the complex process of brain development Virologist Kristen Bernard of the University of Wisconsin Madison notes There are a lot of sensitive cells there that have to get to the right places at the right time 5 Disruptions to this process including those caused by the Zika virus can lead to severe problems with the brain On February 1 2016 the World Health Organization WHO declared the spread of the Zika virus a public health emergency of international concern WHO director general Dr Margaret Chan announced this state of emergency Local transmission has now been reported in 31 countries and territories in Latin America and the Caribbean said Chan Before making this announcement she met with a committee of experts to assess whether the Zika outbreak met all the criteria for an emergency of international concern Such an emergency must involve a problem that
reaches epidemic proportions affecting large numbers of people in a short time It must cross national boundaries and threaten populations meaning entire groups of people such WARNING In 2007 the World Health Organization WHO created a warning called the public health emergency of international concern This warning is used when an epidemic crosses international boundaries and threatens populations worldwide Between 2007 and 2016 only four health crises have received this designation The first occurred in 2009 during a global influenza epidemic In 2014 the WHO used the designation twice first for a polio epidemic and later to combat the global Ebola crisis The fourth time in 2016 was for the Zika virus as pregnant women and their children Solutions to this kind of an emergency can be found fastest when organizations pool their resources and work together By declaring a public health emergency the WHO would be able to coordinate research on this virus particularly regarding its effect on pregnant women The organization encouraged governments and nonprofit groups to help fund this research and begin the process of developing a vaccine against Zika PREVIOUS PATTERNS Scientists and doctors were not certain what the eventual impact of the Zika virus would be but they knew it would
Pregnant women in Brazil Colombia and other South American nations found themselves at the center of international attention during the Zika outbreak likely continue spreading They believed it might follow the pattern of a related virus called chikungunya This virus was first described in 1952 in Tanzania a country on the east coast of Africa After this outbreak researchers found chikungunya throughout Africa and Asia but the number of people infected remained low Then in 1999 and 2000
