Peru declares Zika emergency after more than 100 people infected with virus

Zee Media Bureau

New Delhi: The officials in Peru have declared a Zika health emergency across the northern half of their country after more than 100 people were found to be infected with the virus.

The 90-day emergency was announced yesterday in the official gazette El Peruano, which said the health ministry and local authorities were working to prevent the spread of the disease, which is principally transmitted by mosquitos.

The cases detected so far include 34 pregnant women. Zika is seen as a cause of microcephaly - abnormally small heads and brains - in babies.

A major Zika outbreak in neighbouring Brazil, where nearly 1,600 babies have been born with the birth defect, has prompted concerns for athletes and visitors ahead of the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro next month.

(With IANS inputs)