Situation Overview
- ZIKV continues to spread: 65 countries around the world report continuing mosquito-borne transmission; 40 of these countries are in the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) region.
- 22,446 cases of Zika virus disease in pregnant women were reported through laboratory-confirmed by RT-PC.
- Over 520,383 suspected/confirmed ZIKV cases in the LAC region as of 21 July 2016.
- 1,745 confirmed cases of microcephaly and other fetal malformations potentially associated with Zika virus infection reported in Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, Martinique, Panama and Puerto Rico.
- 152 million people reached with preventive messages through mass, social and digital media in twelve countries, with the highest public reach in Brazil, Mexico, Colombia and Cuba.
Response Highlights
UNICEF continues to take action in 21 countries at both community and policy level, to control the spread of Zika and mitigate its impact. UNICEF is leveraging its comparative advantage and partnerships through an integrated response that incorporates community engagement, prevention (through sexual health and vector control), and care and support for affected children and families. At the global level UNICEF continues to drive the much needed development of easy-to-use tools to diagnose infection and to support research and development of vaccines to prevent its transmission.
Closer collaboration and coordination with NGOs and other international and national agencies is taking place at a regional and national level, to ensure a fully inter-sectoral approach to the Zika response.
UNICEF is undertaking several KAPs (Knowledge, Attitude and Perception studies) across the region with a particular focus on risk perception amongst pregnant women and partners.
152 million people have now been reached with preventive messages through mass, social and digital media across the region. Schools are increasingly becoming a focus of community engagement, whilst mass communication is being aimed at pregnant women and their partners. U-Report is also being explored as a social mobilization tool across the region.
The first case of female to male sexual transmission of Zika virus has been confirmed.