Countries Worldwide Raise Alarms Over Zika Virus

Agence France-Presse: Thailand confirms first domestic case of Zika virus
“…Authorities said the 22-year-old Thai man is likely to have caught the same strain of the virus that has caused panic in countries such as Brazil and Colombia…” (2/2).

Agence France-Presse: Honduras declares national emergency over Zika virus
“Honduras has declared a state of emergency after officials said the number of Zika infections is rising at an ‘alarming’ rate in the Central American country…” (2/2).

New York Times: Australia to Begin Monitoring for Zika Virus
“Health officials in tropical far-north Queensland and Papua New Guinea, to Australia’s north, have begun monitoring for the mosquito-borne Zika virus, which was declared an international public health emergency on Monday by the World Health Organization…” (Innis, 2/1).

Reuters: Venezuela likely underestimating Zika cases: doctors, Colombia say
“President Nicolas Maduro’s government is likely underestimating the number of Zika cases in Venezuela, which could hurt efforts to combat the virus-bearing mosquito, according to local doctors, opposition politicians, and neighboring Colombia…” (Ulmer, 2/1).

Washington Post: Why isn’t Zika causing birth defects in Colombia? It may only be a matter of time.
“…Brazil and French Polynesia are the only two places so far where health officials have linked the virus to an apparent increase in microcephaly. This is one reason global health officials are watching Colombia closely for similar evidence…” (Cobb et al., 2/2).

The KFF Daily Global Health Policy Report summarized news and information on global health policy from hundreds of sources, from May 2009 through December 2020. All summaries are archived and available via search.

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