The Brazilian government will deploy 220,000 soldiers to battle against mosquitoes spreading the Zika virus which causes birth defects in pregnant women. The World Health organization (WHO) predicts more outbreaks on countries with virus-carrier Aedes Aegypti mosquitoes.
Brazil will start to mobilize more than 200,000 soldiers to stop the spread of mosquitoes carrying the notorious Zika virus. Troops will conduct searches in every house in the country and give leaflets and advice on exterminating breeding grounds of mosquitoes on February 13. Brazilian Health Minister Marcelo Castro said that soldiers will be distributing mosquito repellents to 400,000 pregnant women.
The move came following Castro's announcement that Brazil is losing the battle against the Zika virus. He called the Aedes Aegypti mosquito carrier as Brazil's "public enemy number one", reported BBC.
According to Castro, the Zika virus is one of the most infamous public health scares in the history of Brazil. Scientists first learned about the virus in Africa in the 1940s. Now, it affects the Latin American region, threatening pregnant women and their unborn babies.
The Straits Times reported that the Zika virus has been known to cause multiple serious birth defects such as microcephaly. Infected pregnant women could give birth to babies with deformed heads that are abnormally small in size.
The virus is not spread through contact with infected persons but through Aedes Aegypti mosquitoes. These types of mosquitoes are also known as carriers of dengue and yellow fever viruses. An individual with the Zika virus might exhibit flu-like symptoms.
As per The Guardian, there is currently no available treatment or vaccine for the Zika virus. However, Glaxo and Sanofi SA, two of the largest drug companies globally, are reviewing possibilities for a vaccine for Zika.
The WHO said that countries with Aedes mosquitoes will most likely be affected with more outbreaks. The health organization speculated that the rapid spread of Zika in America was due to lack of immunity against the virus.
