Due to almost a full elimination of recorded Zika cases, Brazil has just announced on Thursday that the virus is no longer an official public health crises.
Zika wasn’t connected as the cause of microcephaly until 2015, when the government recognized the virus as a full-on epidemic. Microcephaly, which is shown to cause birth defects, an enlarged head, and stunted speech in newborns, affected thousands of children after the initial outbreak.
RELATED: New Alzheimer’s Vaccine Could Be As Common As The Flu Shot
Though the accomplishment is cause for celebration, Brazilian officials say that they will not forget about the thousands of citizens who have already been affected by the virus, and they will continue fighting it until it is handled in its entirety.
“The end of the emergency does not mean the end of surveillance or assistance. The Ministry of Health and other entities involved including states and municipalities, will maintain their policy to combat Zika, dengue and Chikungunya,” stated the Secretary of Health Surveillance at the Ministry of Health, Adeílson Cavalcante, according to sources.
Though there have been dozens of discovered methods that can be used to fight the virus, it is unclear which has had the most efficiency. Since the epidemic began in 2015, scientists used FDA-approved drug compounds to create a cure, a Filipino teen created an all natural and affordable mosquito repellant, and the Brazilian government erected mosquito-killing billboards that smelled like humans.
Click To Share The Buzz With Your Friends