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 Chan said Brazil's government is doing all it can to mobilize
Brazilian society in fighting the "formidable" Aedes mosquito that
transmits the virus that has spread rapidly through the Americas
since last year.
"I want to reassure you that the government is working very closely
with the international Olympic movement, with the local organizing
committee, supported by the WHO, to make sure we have a very good
work plan to target the mosquito, and to make sure that people who
will come here either as visitors or athletes will get the maximum
protection they need," Chan said.
"I am confident the government can do it," she told reporters after
meeting with Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff.
The virus has been linked in Brazil to an alarming surge in the
birth of babies with abnormally small heads, a condition known as
microcephaly, and other neurological disorders.
Brazil's Health Ministry said on Tuesday that the number of
confirmed and suspected cases of microcephaly has risen to 4,690
from 4,443 a week earlier. Of these, the number of confirmed cases
climbed to 583 from 508 a week earlier.
Brazil considers most of the cases of microcephaly to be related to
Zika, though the link between the virus and the birth defects has
not been scientifically established. The WHO declared the Zika
outbreak, which has spread to more than 30 countries, an
international health emergency on Feb. 1.
Brazilian authorities are scrambling to contain the outbreak which
threatens to keep visitors from attending the Olympic Games in Rio
de Janeiro five months from now.
With no cure or vaccine for Zika, the only way to deal with the
virus at present is to reduce the population of the Aedes mosquito
that also carries the dengue and chicungunya viruses.
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Chan said Brazil has been very transparent in sharing information on
the virus with the rest of the world, and taking a leadership role
in collaborating with other countries in the research and
development of diagnostic tools and a vaccine.
She praised Rousseff's leadership in mobilizing the whole of
Brazilian society, including the army, the private sector and
religious leaders, in a campaign to eradicate the mosquito's
breeding places in urban areas.
"The Zika virus is very tricky. We should expect to see more cases.
We should expect this to be a long journey, but the government
commitment led by President Rousseff is commendable," she said.
"Base don what I have seen here, I can tell you: the mosquito is
difficult, but it cannot beat Brazil," Chan said.
(Reporting by Anthony Boadle; Editing by Daniel Flynn, Lisa Shumaker
and Bernard Orr)
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