Page 9 - DESPA
P. 9
WORLD NEWS A11
Thursday 21 January 2016
Spreading Zika virus a new economic strain for Latin America
PEDRO MENDOZA across the country. A health agent from Sao Paulo’s Public health secretary shows an army soldier Aedes aegypti
JOSHUA GOODMAN The outbreak comes as mosquito larvae that she found during clean up operation against the insect, which is a vector for
Associated Press about 1 million people, a transmitting the Zika virus, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2016. A U.S. warning urging
BARRANQUILLA, Colombia third of them foreigners, pregnant women to avoid travel to Latin American countries where the mosquito-borne virus is
(AP) — A U.S. warning that are expected to flood Rio multiplying threatens to depress tourism to the region, one of its few bright spots at a time of deep
pregnant women should de Janeiro in the coming economic pain.
avoid Latin American month to celebrate Carni-
countries where a mosqui- val. And hoteliers and oth- (AP Photo/Andre Penner)
to-borne virus is multiply- ers have invested billions of
ing couldn’t have come at dollars in anticipation of a Sandra Howard Taylor, vice the situation because we and urging women to put
a worse time for a region flood of visitors to the Sum- minister of tourism in Co- don’t know for sure how off pregnancies for at least
that’s counting on tourism mer Olympics in Rio in Au- lombia, as she was head- long it will last,” Howard six months until the worst
to give it a boost at a time gust. ing to Spain to promote the said. of the epidemic passes. In
of economic crises. “The Zika virus being in the country at an international In the Colombian port total, there are more than
The alert issued Friday by news could potentially tourism fair. Last year, Co- city of Barranquilla, home 13,500 confirmed or sus-
the Atlanta-based Centers keep away people — even lombia saw a 9 percent to Latin America’s larg- pected cases of the virus in
for Disease Control and those who aren’t pregnant jump in foreign tourists est Carnival outside Bra- Colombia.
Prevention covers 14 coun- or have no risk of becom- through October. zil, health authorities have Wendy Ferrer, whose
tries and territories in the ing pregnant,” said Otto “We’re trying to take the been educating residents daughter was born two
Americas where the Zika vi- Nogami, an economist at maximum advantage of how to identify symptoms weeks ago, said she consid-
rus has been detected. the Insper business school
It’s especially hard for Bra- in Sao Paulo.
zil, where there’s been a Sagging demand from
wave of birth defects that China has undercut Latin
officials there believe is re- America’s export-depen-
lated to Zika at the same dent economies at the
time it has been battling its same time their currencies
deepest recession in three have been battered by the
decades. rising values of dollars and
Brazilian health officials euros. Plunging internation-
said Wednesday that the al prices have hurt many of
number of cases of micro- their mining and oil com-
cephaly, a rare brain de- panies that had been dar-
fect in babies, has risen to ling of investors the past
3,893, since authorities be- decade, but cheaper cur-
gan investigating the surge rencies make their resorts a
in cases, in October. Fewer better bargain for visitors.
than 150 such cases were “We’re one of the few sec-
seen in all of 2014 — be- tors that isn’t crying over
fore Zika began to spread the dollar’s surge,” said
Genetically modified mosquitoes combat Zika virus in Brazil
SAO PAULO (AP) — Geneti- velop properly. The genetically modified tive, but if it is allowed to Most of the 3,530 babies
cally modified mosquitoes In a statement Tuesday, mosquitoes themselves proceed to full measure, it the Health Ministry says
could help Brazil combat the Oxitec biotech firm said don’t spread disease be- will “reduce the mosquito have been born with mi-
the Zika virus, tests results re- tests that began in April cause only the females population below disease crocephaly in the country
leased this week by a British 2015 have shown that the bite. transmission levels with min- since October have been
biotech firm suggest. release of genetically modi- Piracicaba’s city health imal effect on the environ- concentrated in the coun-
The South American na- fied sterile male mosquitoes department confirmed the ment.” try’s poorest regions, such
tion has been scrambling succeeded in reducing a tests and results. He added that the Aedes as the northeast. But worries
to contain the spread of variety of disease-transmit- Joseph Conlon, a techni- aegypti “are notoriously dif- about Zika have prompted
Zika, which has been linked ting mosquito larvae by 82 cal adviser for the Ameri- ficult to control by conven- residents in wealthier cities
to a recent surge in birth percent by year’s end in a can Mosquito Control As- tional spray methods such such as Rio de Janeiro and
defects including micro- neighborhood of the city of sociation, called the results as truck or aerial sprays.” Sao Paulo to stock up on
cephaly, a rare condition Piracicaba. “novel and potentially effi- The Brazilian army has been mosquito repellent.
in which newborns have The Aedes aegypti mos- cacious.” helping in efforts to control Fewer than 150 cases of mi-
smaller than normal heads quito also transmits dengue Colon said the procedure the mosquito population by crocephaly were seen in all
and their brains do not de- fever and chikungunya. is not 100 percent effec- eliminating standing water. of 2014.q
