Brazil enlists army in campaign against Zika virus

Brazil’s government launched a nationwide campaign on Saturday to fight the Zika virus, with President Dilma Rousseff and cabinet ministers personally visiting homes and handing out leaflets along with 220,000 troops. The so-called National Day for “Zero Zika” is focused on raising awareness about the disease.

Brazil and the world have lost the battle against dengue, but we won the war against yellow fever, which is carried by the same mosquito. We will win the war against Zika.

President Dilma Rousseff

Rousseff vowed that the presence of Zika in Brazil would not compromise the Olympics in August. Multiple governments have urged women to avoid getting pregnant as researchers work to confirm whether Zika causes microcephaly and the neurological disorder Guillain-Barre syndrome. The World Health Organization warned Saturday that Guillain-Barre, a rare disorder that can cause temporary paralysis, is on the rise in several Latin American countries.

We are confident that until the Olympics begin we will have considerable success in exterminating (the mosquito that transmits the virus).

President Dilma Rousseff

Zika