Health

Billions in aid in the fight against the Zika Virus

Many of the properties of the pathogen are unknown. You also don’t know why, especially for Pregnant women dangerous Virus spread as quickly. US President Obama now wants to Notfallhilfen request.

A pregnant woman with Zika symptoms in Colombia can be in a clinic study (file picture)

US President Barack Obama wants from Congress, funding in the amount of more than 1.8 billion dollars (1.6 billion euros) to get approved, such as the White house in Washington announced. We are confident that the emergency response released soon will. The money should be used for programmes for the control of Stechmückenplagen extend the research for a vaccine to accelerate, and affected countries in the fight against the spread to help, it was said.

Obama tries to appease

Obama cried in an Interview of broadcasting company CBS, the population for calm. “The good news is that this is not like Ebola is. People do not die of Zika,” said the President. “A lot of people get it and don’t even know that you have it.”

Mainly by the Aedes-Aegypti-mosquito-borne Virus is rampant at present in South and Central America, particularly affected are Brazil and Colombia. The pathogen carries approximately one fifth of those Infected, flu-like symptoms and is usually not fatal.

Pregnant women, the Virus can but on their unborn children. With these leads it to current knowledge, probably to Mikrozephalie – a deformity of the head of the newborn.

In recent times, the Zika Virus, even with the Guillain-Barré nerve disease, which can be fatal. So far, there is no drug for the treatment of diseased Zika patients. The Virus was also in blood, saliva, and semen evidence. The world health organization (WHO) cried due to the epidemic at the beginning of the month a “global Gesundheitsnotstand”.

USA fear of disease increase in sultry summer months

The U.S. authorities have recorded so far 50 confirmed Zika cases in travellers from Gefahrengebieten in Latin America and returned. A Transmission by mosquitoes within the United States, it has not been registered. According to the White house, however, is the risk that in the sultry summer months, especially in the southern States mosquitoes are active could carry the Virus.

In Germany, Reiserückkehrer from Zika-areas for a specific period of time not to donate blood. The Zika areas are fairly congruent with those of Malaria, explained the spokesperson of the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut, Susanne Stöcker. Anyone from there to come back, should, anyway, for six months, not to donate blood.

Experts are currently examining, which countries because of the Zika Virus in addition to the appropriate list must be set. In the United States, France and the UK are subject to travelers from Zika-regions for the case of a blood donation for a period of four weeks.

se/yy (afp, ape, dpa)