In January 2016, the World Health Organization named the Zika Virus a Public Health Emergency
of International Concern.
The rapidly spreading pandemic has been linked to abnormalities in infants and is expected
to infect more than 4 million people in just one year.
So what does this mean for the world, and how do you control a pandemic of this proportion?
Well, to begin with, a disease which spreads rapidly and affects an exceptionally large
number of people is called an epidemic.
Epidemics, like Zika, which threaten multiple continents and the rest of the globe are referred
to as “pandemics”.
Zika has already been linked to birth defects in more than 20 countries since the outbreak
began in May 2015.
The disease spreads through mosquitoes, and usually produces mild flu-like symptoms that
rarely lead to hospitalization.
However in the case that a pregnant woman is infected, Zika may cause babies to be born
with abnormally small heads and permanent brain damage.
So what are countries doing about it?
Well nearly all countries are legally bound to the WHO’s International Health Regulations.
These say that in the case of a Public Health Emergency, a committee of experts is formed
to suggest measures to combat the pandemic.
In the case of Zika, this includes intensifying research of the virus, educating those at
risk about how to protect themselves, expediting the development of a cure and preparing services
for infected newborns.
World leaders are also required to report their findings back to the WHO so that the
organization can regularly update the media.
Before Zika, there have only been three other public health emergencies.
The first was in 2009, when the H1N1 swine flu swept across the US and Mexico.
Two others followed in 2014, with a second resurgence of polio and an unexpectedly large
outbreak of Ebola.
In the case of Ebola, the WHO called for $103 million dollars in humanitarian aid and mandatory
exit screenings for people leaving affected countries.
In response, several African countries promptly closed their borders, and officials from Liberia
and Sierra Leone initiated nation-wide efforts to keep people in their homes..
Following the announcement, the US sent a team of health experts and four thousand troops
to West Africa and as well as $10 million dollars in additional aid money.
But the WHO didn’t name Ebola a Public Health Emergency until nearly six months after the
first outbreak in West Africa was reported.
According to WHO officials, Ebola didn’t initially pose a global threat, as the outbreak
remained concentrated until an air traveler brought it to Nigeria.
Critics say that if they had responded sooner, the disease would’ve been eradicated before
taking more than 11,000 lives.
This is likely why the organization is designating Zika as a Public Health Emergency so soon
after its outbreak.
Although the disease’s effects are comparatively minor and causation to birth defects is yet
to be proven, it already poses a threat to most of the Americas.
So, whether it be for a mostly asymptomatic mosquito-borne virus or a disease that causes
your eyes and mouth to bleed , Public Health Emergencies wake up the world to the potential
magnitude of a virus.
So, often the best way to control a pandemic like Zika is to first get every nation on
the same page.
But in the end it's up to individual countries to address their specific needs to contain
an outbreak.
Although Zika shows no symptoms for many infected adults, the disease can have devastating effects
on newborns.
To learn more about those effects, check out this video by DNews.
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