Being prepared

Jordan is still far from the regions of the world that are beset by the Zika virus, but this should be no reason to relax and not take early measures in anticipation of the possibility that it could spread to the Middle East by way of Europe or Africa.

Once confined to Latin America and the Caribbean regions, with warmer weather in other parts of the world the virus is expected to spread to other continents sooner or later.

Zika cases are on the decline in Brazil, the country hardest hit by the outbreak, as the southern hemisphere enters autumn. But the European summer will usher in a “marked increase” in Zika infections, said Marie-Paule Kieny, assistant director general of the World Health Organisation (WHO).

“As seasonal temperatures begin to rise in Europe, two species of Aedes mosquito which we know transmit the virus will begin to circulate,” she told a Zika science conference in Paris.

“The mosquito knows no borders.”

And this means that no region is totally immune from it.

Zika causes microcephaly in newborns, a form of severe brain damage, but it can also cause adult-onset neurological problems such as Guillain-Barre Syndrome, which can cause paralysis and death.

According to WHO, Zika has become a “global emergency” and a “growing threat”.

Since there is no treatment for the virus to date, and no extensive knowledge about it, preventive measures should be taken before it reaches wider areas of the world.

So far, the most effective way is to avoid mosquito bites by using repellents and bed nets, and emptying standing water from containers like buckets or flowerpots, suggests WHO.

Two Zika-transmitting mosquitoes are known: Aedes aegypti, found at the tropics, and Aedes albopictus, found in European countries in the summer.

There is no effective immunisation vaccine against the virus yet, but several countries — United States, France, Brazil, India and Austria — are working on 23 vaccine-development projects. However, it could take years to come up with a comprehensive vaccine.

WHO says that that outbreak of the virus in some regions on the globe, notably in Brazil in early 2015, should be a wake-up call for the entire world and not just the infected countries.

And since the virus can also be transmitted by sexual contact, educational campaigns should be in order everywhere.

This is all the more important in view of the ease of movement most people enjoy nowadays when international travel has become the norm rather than the exception.

Jordan should not lag behind in raising awareness about the virus. No need to alarm, but prevention is always better than cure.