Brazil's interim health minister assures government has funds to combat Zika

Record ID: 103742

  • Title: Brazil's interim health minister assures government has funds to combat Zika
  • Date: 13th May 2016
  • Summary: RECIFE, BRAZIL (FILE - JANUARY 2016) (REUTERS) VARIOUS CLOSE-UPS OF MOSQUITOES AND MOSQUITO LARVA IN A LABORATORY
  • Embargoed: 28th May 2016 20:27
  • Keywords: Zika Brazil interim government health Ricardo Barros
  • Location: RECIFE AND BRASILIA, BRAZIL
  • City: RECIFE AND BRASILIA, BRAZIL
  • Country: Brazil
  • Topics: Health/Medicine
  • Reuters ID: LVA0014HN7SQV
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Brazil's interim health minister, Ricardo Barros, sought to calm fears on Friday (May 13) that the government lacks the budget to combat the Zika virus, speaking a day after suspended President Dilma Rousseff was put on trial for breaking budget laws.
    Barros, addressing the media in Brasilia as part of Michel Temer's centre-right interim government, said officials must continue to put into effect existing plans.
    "We have resources in the budget for the measures planned, and we want to maintain these resources. When I speak about optimising and widening the our fight to combat the mosquito, I am calling on mayors to maintain their actions to eliminate mosquito breeding grounds in people's houses and to continue investing in research, both in vaccines - Fiocruz has 300 million reales (85 million U.S. dollars) allocated to develop a vaccine for Chagas disease too. We have international agreements too, we have the Butantan Institute, we have many fronts working to combat the effects of the mosquito," said Barros.
    After months of research, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention concluded that infection with the Zika virus in pregnant women is a cause of the birth defect microcephaly and other severe brain abnormalities in babies.
    The number of confirmed and suspected cases of microcephaly in Brazil associated with the Zika virus was 4,759 in the week through May 7, the Health Ministry said.
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