Zika epidemic spreads across South America
(VOVworld) - Peru’s health ministry has raised its medical alert following the first case of the Zika virus carried by a Venezuelan citizen who entered the country by bus from Colombia. Health Minister Anibal Velasquez said quarantine measures have been stepped up, particularly in high-risk areas. Chile has also reported the first case of the Zika, which arrived from Colombia. The authorities said Colombia’s weather is not unfavorable for mosquitoes to breed and develop.
 |
| A model of a mosquito is exhibited during a campaign to raise awareness of preventing the entry of the Zika virus into the country, at the Health Ministry in Lima, Peru January 27, 2016. Reuters/Mariana Bazo |
The Ecuadorian health ministry confirmed a pregnant woman had been infected with Zika. Latin American and Caribbean countries have convened a ministerial meeting in Uruguay’s capital Montevideo on Tuesday to discuss measures to deal with the epidemic.
The World Health Organization said Thursday that the Zika virus "is now spreading explosively" in the Americas, with another official estimating between 3 million to 4 million infections in the region over a 12-month period.