Share:
Pesticides in the fight against Zika are not responsible for skull malformations
A Brazilian non-governmental organization has recently established a link between the increase in baby skeletal malformations and a pesticide used in the fight against the Zika virus. The government of the country denies.
Chemicals against mosquitoes
The Zika virus, which has been spreading in Latin America for months, is suspected to cause skull malformations in newborn babies. Various measures have been taken in the respective countries to counteract the pathogen. For example, in the most affected nation of Brazil, hundreds of thousands of soldiers are used against mosquitoes. In order to fight the mosquitoes, chemicals are mainly used. But these could possibly be responsible for the increase in microcephaly.
Pesticides are not responsible. Image: igor - fotolia Relationship between pesticides and skull malformations
The Ministry of Health of Brazil has rejected in the Zika debate a possible link between the increase in skull malformations and a pesticide used in the country. In this developmental peculiarity, called microcephaly, babies are born with an unusually small head, which can lead to brain malformations and thus mental retardation. "There is no epidemiological study demonstrating a link between the use of pyriproxifen and microcephaly," the ministry said, according to a news agency APA.
A federal state waives insecticide
Earlier, Argentine doctors, referring to analyzes by a Brazilian non-governmental organization, had linked the accumulation to this substance. This is added to the water to prevent the multiplication of mosquitoes that can transmit the Zika virus. According to the ministry, only so-called Larvicide recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) is used, including pyriproxifen. The health authorities of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, the insecticide, according to the information, but no longer for the time being.
Zika virus can possibly cause malformation
The government of the country assumes that the pathogen can trigger a malformation of the skull when pregnant women are infected with their babies. Doctors talk about microcephaly when the head is 32 cm or smaller. It has been reported that the number of confirmed cases of microcephaly in babies whose mothers are infected with Zika during pregnancy is 41 in Brazil. In addition, there are 462 confirmed and 3,852 suspected cases of microcephaly in the country. According to experts, the rising numbers are also related to the fact that there is a reporting obligation since October on suspicion of a connection with Zika. So far Zika has appeared in around 40 countries. Besides Brazil, Colombia is particularly affected. At the beginning of February, over 2,100 pregnant women already got infected there. By now it should be more than 3,100 already. (Ad)