WHO classificeert uitbraak Zika virus als wereldwijde noodsituatie

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Latest Zika situation report

Neurological syndrome and congenital anomalies

Read the full situation report
5 February 2016

Summary

An Emergency Committee was convened by the Director-General under the International Health Regulations (2005) on 1 February 2016. Following the advice of the Committee, the Director-General announced the recent cluster of microcephaly and other neurologic disorders reported in Brazil to be a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
The Emergency Committee agreed that a causal relationship between Zika infection during pregnancy and microcephaly is strongly suspected, though not yet scientifically proven. All experts agreed on the urgent need to coordinate international efforts to investigate and understand this relationship better.
Between January 2014 and 5 February 2016, a total of 33 countries have reported autochthonous circulation of Zika virus. There is also indirect evidence of local transmission in 6 additional countries.
The geographical distribution of Zika virus has been steadily increasing since it was first detected in the Americas in 2015. Further spread to countries within the geographical range of competent disease vectors — Aedes mosquitoes — is considered likely.
Seven countries have reported an increase in the incidence of cases of microcephaly and/or Guillain-Barré syndrome concomitantly with a Zika virus outbreak.
The global prevention and control strategy launched by WHO is based on surveillance, response activities, and research.

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The United States Olympic Committee told U.S. sports federations that athletes and staff concerned for their health over the Zika virus should consider not going to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in August.

[oma]

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/guillain-barre-syndrome/en/

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Helen Branswell @HelenBranswell

Wanna know #Zika's backstory? @sciencecohen has done all the research for you. http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/02/zika-s-long-strange-trip-limelight
6:00am · 9 Feb 2016

[helm]

Zika virus online te koop voor $ 516

http://www.atcc.org/Products/All/VR-84.aspx?slp=1&geo_country=us#history

Name of Depositor     J. Casals, Rockefeller Foundation
Source                 Blood from experimental forest sentinel rhesus monkey, Uganda, 1947
Year of Origin         1947
References                 Dick GW. Trans. R. Soc. Trop. Med. Hyg. 46: 509, 1952.

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Women in the context of microcephaly and Zika virus disease

The risk of babies born with microcephaly has raised understandable concerns among women including those who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant. There are many unknowns regarding the possible causes of microcephaly. Until we have more answers, there are ways that women can protect themselves from Zika infection.

Online Q&A
10 February 2016

Should pregnant women be concerned about Zika virus disease?

Although symptoms associated with Zika are generally mild, a possible association has been observed between the unusual rise of Zika cases and microcephaly cases in Brazil since 2015.

What is microcephaly?

Microcephaly is a condition where a baby is born with a small head or the head stops growing after birth. Microcephaly is usually a rare condition, with one baby in several thousand being born with the birth defect. If this combines with poor brain growth, babies with microcephaly can have developmental disabilities.

The most reliable way to assess whether a baby has microcephaly is to measure head circumference 24 hours after birth, compare this with WHO growth standards, and continue to measure the rate of head growth in early infancy. Brazil has reported an unusual, sudden increase in babies born with microcephaly since May 2015. lees verder

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0skonVosTJU

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How to make a Zika virus vaccine, in 4 not-so-easy steps
The basic idea behind vaccines is simple: Expose people to a non-dangerous form of a virus, and their bodies' immune systems will bolster their defenses, protecting them from future encounters with the virus.
But in practice, developing a new vaccine can be tricky. Sometimes a vaccine that works in animals shows no effect in humans. Sometimes a vaccine that appears safe in initial trials can produce unforeseen side effects later on. "There’s always surprises in the vaccine field," says Philip K. Russell, a retired US Army medical researcher who helped develop vaccines for hepatitis and meningitis. lees verder

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Zika and potential complications

Read the full situation report pdf, 628kb

Summary

WHO has called for a coordinated and multisectoral response through an inter-agency Strategic Response Framework focusing on response, surveillance and research.
39 countries have reported locally acquired circulation of the virus since January 2007. Geographical distribution of the virus has steadily expanded.
Six countries (Brazil, French Polynesia, El Salvador, Venezuela, Colombia and Suriname) have reported an increase in the incidence of cases of microcephaly and/or Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) in conjunction with an outbreak of the Zika virus. Puerto Rico and Martinique have reported cases of GBS associated with Zika virus infection without an increase of incidence. No scientific evidence to date confirms a link between Zika virus and microcephaly or GBS.
Women’s reproductive health has been thrust into the limelight with the spread of the Zika virus. The latest evidence suggests that Zika virus infection during pregnancy may be linked to microcephaly in newborn babies.
WHO advice on travel to Zika-affected countries includes advice for pregnant women as well as women who are trying to become pregnant and their sexual partners.

[Diamondback]

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2016/02/14/hawaii-declares-state-emergency-over-zika-virus-dengue-fever-outbreak.html

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De wereld is in rep en roer. Deze keer niet vanwege oorlog, terrorisme, hongersnood of een ziekte waaraan duizenden mensen sterven. Maar vanwege een virus dat te boek staat als tamelijk onschuldig. Zika jaagt menigeen de stuipen op het lijf door een sterke associatie met de ernstige hersenafwijking microcefalie. De Wereldgezondheidsorganisatie (WHO) kondigde op 1 februari ‘een medische noodsituatie van internationale zorg’ af. Dat gebeurde op advies van een expertcommissie onder leiding van professor David Heymann, topinfectioloog-epidemioloog van de Londen School of Hygiene and Tropical Diseases. Rinke van den Brink en Judith Pennarts spraken begin februari uitgebreid met Heymann. lees verder