Nearly 72,000 Cases Of Zika In Colombia Since October
KABUL: (MEP) Nearly 72,000 cases of Zika have been reported in Colombia since October 2015, with almost 13,000 occurring in pregnant women, although the country is going through a decline in outbreaks, health authorities said Saturday.
Colombia’s National Health Institute (INS) reported that in addition to the cases of Zika infection, four cases of microcephaly, an irreversible condition in which babies are born with abnormally small heads and damaged brains, have been identified in the South American country, adding that another 22 cases of potential microcephaly are under investigation.
According to the INS, which estimated that some 300 instances of cranial malformation are likely in babies by September, a smaller number than initially predicted.
Earlier this month, US health authorities confirmed that Zika causes microcephaly and other severe fetal brain defects, after months of debate and uncertainty. Since the beginning of the epidemic in October, a total of 3,292 cases have been confirmed by laboratories and 68,660 suspected cases have been documented.
The Colombian government had initially estimated the number of Zika cases could triple through the end of June, but the INS said the epidemic was “dropping precipitously” for the time.
From Apr 10 to 16, a total of 3,322 suspected Zika cases were reported in Colombia, but none were confirmed by a laboratory, according to the latest INS bulletin. Mosquito-borne Zika is present in 130 countries and recent studies have shown it can also be transmitted sexually between human carriers.
