‘Poverty favours the mosquito’: experts warn Zika virus could return to Brazil

'Poverty favours the mosquito': experts warn Zika virus could return to Brazil

Two months after government says Zika emergency at an end, water shortages and weak health system trigger fears of fresh outbreak

Dom Phillips in Rio de Janeiro
Friday 14 July 2017

Weaknesses in the public health system risk another Zika epidemic in Brazil, according to a report published two months after the government declared the mosquito-borne virus was no longer an emergency.

Blamed for the birth defect microcephaly, Zika exposed human rights deficiencies in areas such as sanitation, access to clean water, poverty and sexual health restrictions, the report released on Thursday by Human Rights Watch said.

Continued at source: The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2017/jul/14/poverty-favours-the-mosquito-experts-warn-zika-virus-could-return-to-brazil


Brazil: Zika Epidemic Exposes Rights Problems

Brazil: Zika Epidemic Exposes Rights Problems

July 12, 2017
Government Announced Emergency Over, But Major Risks Remain

(São Paulo) – Brazil has not addressed longstanding human rights problems that allowed the Zika outbreak to escalate, leaving the population vulnerable to future outbreaks and other serious public health risks, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. The government declared an end to the national public health emergency related to the Zika virus in May 2017, but the Zika threat in Brazil remains.

The 103-page report, “Neglected and Unprotected: The Impact of the Zika Outbreak on Women and Girls in Northeastern Brazil,” documents gaps in the Brazilian authorities’ response that have a harmful impact on women and girls and leave the general population vulnerable to continued outbreaks of serious mosquito-borne illnesses.

Continued at source: Human Rights Watch: https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/07/12/brazil-zika-epidemic-exposes-rights-problems


Africa: International Agencies Worry US Aid May Be Linked to Abortion Ban

International Agencies Worry US Aid May Be Linked to Abortion Ban
May 16, 2017
Zoe Leoudaki

A measure called the “Presidential Memorandum Regarding the Mexico City Policy” will likely affect the lives of many women in developing countries.

The memorandum was among the first executive orders signed by Donald Trump after he became president of the United States. It changes government policy about the way foreign aid is given to other countries.

With the order, Trump brought back a rule that bans the use of foreign aid by international organizations that support abortion. It is called the Mexico City Policy.

Continued at source: Voice of America: http://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/global-gag-rule-and-african-women/3849091.html