Cases of microcephaly with suspected Zika virus in Brazil increased to 3,893

In total 49 deaths were reported due to congenital malformation. Of these five were confirmed for the relationship with the Zika virus, all in the Northeast region, one in Ceará and four in Rio Grande do Norte. In addition to these cases, the disclosure also brings the result of laboratory investigation of a baby with microcephaly in Minas Gerais, who had the relationship with the Zika virus diagnosed. This is the sixth confirmation of the relationship between the disease and the virus. These results are in addition to the other scientific evidence obtained in 2015 and reinforce the hypothesis of the relationship between Zika virus infection and the occurrence of microcephaly and other congenital malformations.

According to the report, the state of Pernambuco continues with the highest number of suspected cases (1,306), which represents 33% of the total registered in the whole country. Then there are the states of Paraíba (665), Bahia (496), Ceará (216), Rio Grande do Norte (188), Sergipe (164), Alagoas (158), Mato Grosso (134) and Rio de Janeiro 122).

Zika circulation is currently confirmed by PCR using molecular biology technology. From the confirmation in a certain locality, the other diagnoses are done clinically, by medical evaluation of the symptoms. At the moment, they are with autochthonous circulation of the Zika virus 20 units of the federation. They are: Federal District, Mato Grosso do Sul, Roraima, Amazonas, Pará, Rondônia, Mato Grosso, Tocantins, Maranhão, Piauí, Ceará, Rio Grande do Norte, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Alagoas, Bahia, Espírito Santo, Rio de Janeiro, The Ministry of Health will distribute 500,000 tests to carry out the diagnosis of PCR (molecular biology) for the Zika virus.

More qualified laboratories

With this, the public laboratories will expand in 20 times the capacity of the exams, passing from thousand to 20 thousand monthly diagnoses. The first 250 thousand units will be delivered in February, initially to 27 laboratories, four of them reference and 23 Central Laboratories of Public Health (LACEN). The other 250,000 tests are expected to be available from the second half. In total, the Ministry of Health invested R $ 6 million to purchase the products. "The expansion of Zika's testing capacity will allow greater representativeness and security to study the trends of the virus." The more samples are analyzed weekly , we will have more information to evaluate Zika's surveillance model and to make adaptations, if necessary, "said Cláudio Maierovitch, director of the Department of Surveillance of Communicable Diseases of the Ministry of Health.

In addition to this amount, another 500 thousand national molecular biology tests produced by the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) to diagnose dengue, Zika and chikungunya. Called Discriminatory NAT Kit for dengue fever, Zika virus and chikungunya fever, the procedure allows simultaneous identification of the genetic material for the three viruses, avoiding the need for three separate tests. The novelty will ensure greater agility for the diagnosis performed in the network of laboratories of the Ministry of Health, in addition to reducing costs and allowing the substitution of foreign inputs for a national product.The Ministry of Health's recommendation, according to the Microcephaly Surveillance and Response Protocol, is to prioritize, for the test, pregnant women with Zika virus symptoms, pregnant women with a microcephalic baby, and newborns with suspected microcephaly.

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