Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/631983
maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 27 JANuArY 2016 5 News Health authorities reassure that Zika virus not transmittable between humans Travellers cautioned as Zika virus epidemic continues to spread in the Americas • WHO warns virus is likely to spread across nearly all of the Americas A viral disease which is quickly spreading in the Americas has left thousands of babies being born with an underdeveloped brain. Some countries have even advised women not to get preg- nant. Known as the Zika virus, the in- fection is transmitted primarily by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes but also by Aedes albopictus mosqui- toes, which are widely distributed in the Americas. The infection, which causes symptoms including mild fever, conjunctivitis and headache, has already been found in 21 coun- tries in the Caribbean, and North and South America. No treatment or vaccine is available. The Maltese health authorities said that the Aedes albopictus mos- quito species is established in many parts of the European Union, prima- rily around the Mediterranean. However the risk of transmission of Zika virus infection is extremely low in the EU during winter as the cli- matic conditions are not suitable for the activity of this mosquito. In comments to MaltaToday, health promotion director Char- maine Gauci emphasized that the virus is not transmitted directly from one person to another, and that the risk of infection in Eu- rope was currently low. "The risk rises only when Mal- tese people travel to the countries where the virus is prevalent, and if they get bitten by a mosquito while they're there." Gauci pointed out that should that same person get bitten by the particular mosquito again in Europe, then the virus could potentially spread, which meant that the best advice for travellers in the region, was to take the nec- essary precautions to avoid con- tact with the insect. She further explained that the virus had been around for a very long time, but that the virus had spread rapidly and more widely in recent months. What are the symptoms? About one in five people in- fected with Zika virus become ill. The most common symp- toms of Zika are fever, rash, joint pain, or conjunctivitis (red eyes). Other com- mon symptoms include mus- cle pain and headache with symptoms last- ing from a few days to a week. Se- vere disease requir- ing hospitalization is uncommon and deaths are rare. "In the Americas they have noted a link between Zika virus infection during pregnancy and adverse pregnancy outcomes," the health authorities said. Gauci also explained that the latest outbreak was also being linked to paralysis and cases of microcephaly in children born to infected mothers, but that stud- ies had still proved inconclusive. "Pregnant women, or women planning to get pregnant soon have however been advised not to visit the area," she cautioned, stressing that the link between these instances had not yet been confirmed. Which are the countries affected? The Maltese health authori- ties are in direct contact with the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and the Health Security of the Com- mission to follow the situation. Travel associated cases have been reported in the EU in people who travelled to affected areas. El Salvador, Venezuela, Colom- bia and Brazil, Suriname, French Guiana, Honduras, Mexico, Pan- ama and Martinique are current- ly experiencing a rapidly evolving Zika virus epidemic with an in- creasing or widespread transmis- sion. Bolivia, Guyana, Ecuador, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Para- guay, Puerto Rico, Barbados, Saint Martin and Haiti have only reported sporadic transmission. Travellers to affected areas are advised to: • Take individual protective measures to prevent mosquito bites. • Travellers who have immune disorders or severe chronic illnesses should consult their doctor before travelling. • Pregnant women and women who are trying to become pregnant, and who plan to travel to the areas experienc- ing transmission of Zika vi- rus, should discuss their trav- el plans with their healthcare providers and consider post- poning their travel to affected areas, especially to areas with increasing or widespread transmission. • Individual protective meas- ures to prevent mosquito bites should be applied all day long, especially during mid- morning and late afternoon to dusk, which are the periods of highest mosquito activity. • Travellers showing symptoms compatible with dengue, chikungunya or Zika virus disease within three weeks after returning from an af- fected area should contact their healthcare provider. • Pregnant women who have travelled to areas with Zika virus transmission should mention their travel during antenatal visits in order to be assessed and monitored ap- propriately. How to avoid mosquito bites: • Using mosquito repellents in accordance with the in- structions indicated on the product label. DEET based repellent use is not recom- mended in children under three months of age. • Wearing long-sleeved shirts and long pants, especially during the hours of highest mosquito activity. • Using mosquito nets, whether they are impregnated or not, is essential if accommodation is not adequately screened or air-conditioned. Continues from page 1 But by the date their application was lodged with the European Court, that is 11 months and three weeks from the date of their arrival, no decision had been issued. The applicants had been hoping to be released on the lapse of 12 months from their arrival as per normal do- mestic practice. Both were released from de- tention on 14 August, 2013. Ismaail's appeal before the ap- peals board was rejected on 15 October, 2013 and Warsame's was also subsequently rejected on 14 July, 2014. The applicants submitted to the court that they were first detained with a view to be de- ported under the Immigration Act; however, once they applied for asylum they could no longer be detained because Maltese law provided that once such an application was lodged the asylum seeker "shall not be re- moved... and the applicant shall be allowed to enter or remain in Malta pending a final deci- sion". They further said that their 12-month detention – as per government policy – was arbi- trary, because it exceeded the time reasonably required for its purpose, and could not be closely connected to the pur- pose of preventing an unau- thorised entry. In this case, the applicants' asylum claim had been decided at first instance within three months, and eventually they had been released after a to- tal of nearly 12 months, even though their appeal had not yet been decided. They said that they had not been kept in conditions appro- priate for young single women, as well as having been detained in the same centre as that in is- sue in the case of Aden Ahmed, which the European Court had found a violation. They highlighted the crowd- ing in the zones, making the noise unbearable and condi- tions difficult; the limited op- portunities for recreation; the poor quality of the food; the fact that the facility was staffed almost exclusively by men; the difficulty contacting family and the lack of access to basic services, including informa- tion, psychological support and medical treatment. They further claimed they had no access to procedural safeguards, as had been estab- lished by the Court in previous judgments against Malta. In- deed at no point had there been a review to determine whether their detention remained close- ly connected to the purpose pursued. On its part, the Maltese gov- ernment said the detention had been legitimate since practical- ly all immigrants reaching Mal- ta did not carry documents, and ascertaining their identities up- on entry was a lengthy process dependent on the cooperation of the migrants themselves. In its decision, the ECHR said that the applicants received a decision at first instance on their asylum claims within three months, and the subse- quent nine months in deten- tion were spent awaiting the outcome of the pending appeal against the decision rejecting their claim for asylum. "While it is true that a period of nearly 12 months cannot but be considered lengthy… the Court can accept that such a duration was overall reason- able for the purpose pursued, despite the lack of procedural safeguards." Malta guilty of breach of women's liberty The women were detained at Lyster Barracks in Hal Far (File Photo - Gilbert Calleja) Charmaine Gauci Babies suffering from microcephaly, a rare disorder, are born with unusually small heads