A. Situation Analysis
Description of the Disaster
According to the General Health Surveillance Directorate, suspected Zika virus infestation figures increased from 1,700 to 3,037 cases during the last days of January, a situation which led Central Government authorities to declare a national health emergency on 2 February 2016.
In epidemiological weeks 2 and 3, reported suspected Zika cases increased by more than 50 per cent, from 1,700 to 3,037, and by epidemiologic week 4 the figure was 4,473 suspected cases and 2 confirmed cases. Also, reports for epidemiologic week 4 from the General Health Surveillance Directorate show 2,644 cases of dengue and 3,348 cases of chikungunya, adding up to 10,440 infections caused by the same vector.
By 18 February 2016, country-wide accumulated suspected cases of Zika since December added up to 4,590, and 2 confirmed cases.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has also declared an international emergency due to the increased number of cases of children born with microcephaly, Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS), as well as other neurological disorders associated with the Zika virus in several sectors of the population.
On 2 February, the Honduran government officially issued a Health Emergency Decree due to Zika over mass media in order to combat the Aedes Aegypti mosquito, which transmits the Zika, dengue and chikungunya viruses. WHO’s Emergency Committee has expressed that Zika virus is the main suspect in the increased number of congenital malformations in Brazil, although more research is still necessary to confirm that direct relationship