Brazil's government has announced it will deploy 220,000 soldiers in an effort to combat the spread of the Zika virus, which has been linked to a surge in birth defects. The troops will go from door to door handing out leaflets and advising residents on how to eliminate mosquito breeding sites.
Health Minister Marcelo Castro conceded that the country was 'losing badly' in its battle against the virus, which is transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito. The mosquito also carries dengue, chikungunya and yellow fever. 'Last year we had the highest number of dengue cases in the history of Brazil,' Mr Castro said, describing the insect as 'public enemy number one'.
The soldiers will be deployed on 13 February to distribute information and provide guidance on eradicating stagnant water, where mosquitoes breed. Mr Castro called the Zika outbreak 'one of the greatest public health crises in Brazilian history' and stressed that the fight could only be won with public cooperation.
Brazil has recorded 3,893 suspected cases of microcephaly – a condition where babies are born with abnormally small heads – since October, compared with an annual average of just 160 before the outbreak. In response, several Central and South American countries have advised women to delay pregnancy.
The World Health Organization has warned that the Zika virus is likely to spread across nearly all of the Americas. Symptoms include mild fever, conjunctivitis and headache, but most people show no signs of infection. There is no known cure.
