Zika May Become a 'More Dangerous' Threat Than Ebola

Ahead of an emergency meeting of the World Health Organization on Monday to decide whether the Zika virus poses a global public health threat, health experts have warned that the danger of this virus may become a more dangerous threat than Ebola. Following the outbreak of the Zika virus in Latin America, particularly in Brazil, several senior health experts told the Guardian newspaper in London that the spread of this virus 'may be worse than the Ebola virus in many ways.' More than 11,000 people in Africa died from Ebola in 2014-2015. Jeremy Farrar, head of the Wellcome Trust, a global medical research charity, told the newspaper, 'The problem is that at least 80% of those infected with this virus show no symptoms, making it very difficult to track.' The Zika virus, named after a forest in Uganda, is transmitted by a type of mosquito. It is reported that the sudden increase in the number of newborns with small heads (microcephaly) in some Latin American countries, especially Brazil, is linked to pregnant women contracting this virus. Currently, there is no vaccine to combat the Zika virus, and unlike Ebola, there is little hope for developing one in the near future. Reuters also reported on Sunday that the Zika virus is currently present in 23 countries and regions in the Americas. The Brazilian government has recently announced an unprecedented increase in the birth of babies with small heads in the country, which has reached 3,700 cases, and has warned women to avoid becoming pregnant for at least the next two years. According to Reuters, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the U.S. has also set up an emergency operations center to track and monitor the status of this virus in the country.