More than 200,000 troops have been mobilized in Brazil to combat the outbreak of the Zika virus in that country, a disease which has been linked to a horrific birth defect epidemic. As such, the soldiers are primarily concerned with distributing leaflets and dispensing advice, as well as repellent, to at least 400,000 pregnant women on social welfare in the country, according to an article in the Daily Mail.
A recent surge in the virus, which for many adults merely causes flu-like symptoms for up to a week, has seen cases spread across Latin America and – due to those picking up the disease while travelling – into Europe as well. Concerns are high that the outbreak could become a major issue in the lead-up to the Olympic Games in Rio De Janeiro in August.
Newborn or in-utero babies are the most at risk of permanent defects, and scientists have linked it to brain damage and microencephaly, or shrinking of the head. Brazil has recorded at least 3,893 microencephaly cases since October, according to The Straights Times. Previously an annual average of 160 cases was the norm.
The disease is spread through mosquitoes, and not person-to-person, which makes those in tropical regions more vulnerable. Scientists estimate that as many as 1.5 million people could be infected in Brazil. Colombia has the second highest infection rate, with more than 13,500 people infected.
The country's health minister Alejandro Gaviria has urged women to delay pregnancies, but that has angered women's right campaigners. "It's incredibly naive for a government to ask women to postpone getting pregnant in a context such as Colombia, where more than 50 percent of pregnancies are unplanned, and across the region where sexual violence is prevalent," said Monica Roa, a member of Women's Link Worldwide, in an interview with the Thompson Reuters Foundation.
