(Reuters) — Mexico’s infection rate of the Zika has topped 30 as the Latin American country steps up preventative measures against an outbreak of the mosquito-borne virus amidst fears it will spread across the region.
Zika has been linked to brain damage in thousands of babies in Brazil, leading health authorities in Colombia and El Salvador to advise women against getting pregnant for anywhere up to two years.
Last week, Mexico reported 18 cases of the virus. Speaking on Tuesday (February 2), Health Minister Mercedes Juan Lopez said there were now 34 confirmed cases.
“Margaret Chan, the Director-General of the World Health Organisation has declared a global health emergency because of Zika, a viral infection that is transmitted by the vector mosquito Aedes aegypti which also transmits dengue and chikungunya. This is a new infection in the Americas which started last year. In Mexico, we have had 34 confirmed cases of the virus until now,” she said.
The WHO has called for the urgent development of better diagnostic tests to detect the virus in pregnant women and newborn babies. Seen as a relatively rare condition, the virus may lead to babies being born with small heads and often experiencing neurological disorders and learning disabilities.
Lopez said Mexico has been preparing for Zika for over a year.
“For more than a year, Mexico has been preparing for the arrival of this virus and we’re reinforcing all actions in controlling the vector, to diminish the breeding grounds in the houses, places where there is water. That is important,” she added.
Amidst outbreak fears and WHO warnings that up to 4 million people could get infected in the Americas, President Enrique Pena Nieto called for the population to be informed so as to avoid panic.
“Through fumigation, through guidance and to stop this virus from spreading. Minister, I think it is not only important to give an alert, but also to inform the population of the eventual effects of this Zika virus, so as not to generate panic amongst the population,” he said.
The global health body has predicted the virus would spread to all countries across the Americas except for Canada and Chile.
There is currently no vaccine for Zika. The Sao Paulo-based Butantan Institute is leading research on Zika and says it plans to develop a vaccine “in record time,” although its director warned that was still likely to take three to five years.