This refers to the editorial, “Getting ready for Zika” (February 2). With new outbreaks reported across South America, concerns about the threat posed to global health security by the Zika virus is escalating. In an inter-connected world, where an outbreak is a flight away, India has reason to fear Zika, the newest mosquito-borne infection. The Zika virus was first isolated from a rhesus monkey in Uganda in 1947.
With the number of cases on the rise in Brazil, Zika could be following the footsteps of dengue and chikungunya, which are also transmitted by the Aedes Aegypti mosquito. The infection has caused panic because of its suspected link to microcephaly, a condition in which babies are born with abnormally small heads and brain damage. Given that an outbreak anywhere is potentially a threat everywhere, now is the time to step up all efforts to prevent, detect and respond to the virus.