Cuba deploys 9,000 soldiers in strike against Zika virus

February 29, 2016 9:07 AM
HAVANA, Cuba--Cuban President Raul Castro has declared war on Zika, deploying 9,000 soldiers to help keep the virus out of Cuba and calling on the entire country to fight the mosquito that carries the disease.
 
In a front-page message on Cuba’s state-run newspaper Granma, Castro, who is also Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, said Cuba’s fight to prevent the arrival of the virus had been hampered by “the inadequate technical quality” of efforts against the mosquito, insufficient work to clean up areas where the mosquito propagates and poor weather conditions.
 
He said that the active and reserve military personnel and 200 national police officials would reinforce the Public Health Ministry’s efforts to spray neighbourhoods for mosquitoes and eliminate breeding spots.
 
Stressing the importance of a national effort, Castro added: “Once again, the real protagonist in the fight against the menace of epidemics is our people, so it’s essential to be able to count on their conscious participation in order for this important and necessary work to be successful.”
 
Although Cuba has yet to detect a case of Zika, the outbreak is affecting large parts of the Caribbean and Latin America and is likely to spread to all countries in the Americas except Canada and Chile, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
 
“It’s necessary for every single Cuban to take up this battle as a personal matter,” Castro stressed, sounding the alarm over the virus, which is suspected of causing birth defects after infecting pregnant women.
 
The ruling Communist party and the Government have adopted a plan under the direction of the Health Ministry to deal with Zika that will also help combat the mosquito-borne diseases dengue and chikungunya, Castro indicated.
 
Military reserves were out on the streets of Havana’s Cerro district from Monday, knocking on doors and fumigating homes. People appeared cooperative as they gathered on corners waiting for the fumes to dissipate.
 
Cuba’s network of neighbourhood doctors and clinics are reportedly on the alert for Zika symptoms and suspected cases will be quarantined in hospital wards prepared for an eventual outbreak.
 
WHO declared the outbreak an international public health emergency on February 1, citing a “strongly suspected” relationship between Zika infection in pregnancy and microcephaly, a condition marked by abnormally small head size in babies.
 
However, much remains unknown about Zika, including whether the virus alone is responsible for microcephaly.
 
Experts are also investigating the potential link between Zika infection and Guillain-Barré, a rare neurological disorder that can weaken the muscles and cause paralysis.
 
Caribbean360

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