Zika virus: Brazil deploys 2 lakhs soldiers to warn of risks

Feb 17, 2016, 22:56

More than 70,000 troops were deployed in Rio de Janeiro, a priority because of the Olympics, Rousseff said, adding that sports authorities have said the Zika outbreak did not jeopardize the event.

A woman reads a pamphlet distributed by navy sailors, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Saturday, Feb. 13, 2016. "But if it is already under control, why should we prevent them from joining?"

In reply, Rousseff said "Zika does not jeopardise the games", and in combating the virus, "some cities will have priority like Rio de Janeiro", which will host next August the biggest sports event in the world. Other operations specifically aimed at spreading larvicides and eliminating breeding spots will be launched later this month. More than two-thirds of the mosquitoes breed inside homes. The dishes beneath potted plants are a favorite spot, as are abandoned tires, bird feeders and rainwater that collects in the folds of plastic tarps.

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One of Brazil's top health officials, meanwhile, warned that Zika was likely to spread to densely populated areas - including Rio and Sao Paulo.

The Zika virus is a mosquito-transmitted infection with symptoms that include fever, rash, joint pain and conjunctivitis.

The biggest risk appears to be to pregnant women, due to a link between the virus and the birth defect microcephaly - which causes babies to be born with small heads and under-developed brains. The health agency said that women who are trying to get pregnant and their partners should talk to their doctors before travelling to areas with Zika.

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The country has 462 confirmed cases of microcephaly, and it is investigating another 3,852 suspected cases.

The case was confirmed last week. Brazil usually reports about 150 such cases a year, the AP says.

The move is in line with the fact that the World Health Organization (WHO) included Thailand as one of the countries and territories with autochthonous transmission of Zika virus for the first time on February 12. Officials are also still looking for a definitive link between Zika and microcephaly. Guillain-Barré syndrome has also been found to be related to the Zika virus.

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