The Presidents Declare War on the Zika Virus
President Barack Obama and Brazilian President Dilma Roussef recently discussed their plans to wage war against the Zika virus over the phone. They agreed that we need to work together to fight the spread of the virus by spearheading research into it and speed up the development of vaccines as well as technologies that aim to control the mosquito-born virus. The pair also discussed creating national, regional and global networks to help fight the Zika virus and other similar infectious diseases on a larger scale.
According to the head of the CDC, the U.S. is already preparing for the possible spread of the virus to the United States. President Roussef is doing her part to make sure the virus doesn’t spread any farther. She has already begun operations to eliminate breeding areas for the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which are being run by the armed forces all across Brazil. She has also called on the entire country to try and “clean up” Brazil by eliminating areas of standing water where the mosquitos breed. “The government, churches, football teams, labor unions … everyone must do their part to eliminate the breeding grounds,” she said. “We will win this war.”
Are you doing your part to win the war against this virus?