A Zika warning

The enemy of mankind is undoubtedly the Aedes aegypti mosquito. The Zika virus, which the mosquito bite causes along with other deadly diseases like dengue, chikungunya and yellow fever, has already spread to 22 countries in the Americas and expectant mothers are terrified as the virus is known to cause birth defects like abnormally small heads in babies and, worse, temporary paralysis or even brain syndrome.

While some countries in the region are advising women not to get pregnant for the next six to eight months to avoid the Southern Hemisphere summer in which the mosquito thrives, the more straightforward action would be to tackle the mosquito, which is what Brazil is trying to do.

Having eliminated the insect in the 1950s, Brazil is battling its resurgence with redoubled efforts as 4,000 birth defects have been reported this season there. A vaccine may not be found for some time. In India, we have to double mosquito control measures since our tropical weather leads to the prevalence of the Aedes mosquito and the immunity levels of much of the population are low.

There could be explosive consequences were the Zika virus transmitted to India. What is most needed is to make insect repellants available, and fogging and all other mosquito control measures must be carried out, including creating awareness among the people.