Japan to Allocate $1 Million to Help Fight Zika Virus Outbreak

Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida has announced that the Japanese government will allocate $1 million in emergency aid to help Latin American countries tackle the Zika virus outbreak.

TOKYO (Sputnik) – The Japanese government will allocate $1 million in emergency aid to help Latin American countries tackle the Zika virus outbreak, Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida announced on Friday.

The emergency grants will be passed through the channels of four international institutions, including the World Health Organization (WHO), the minister said as cited by The Japan Times.

On Thursday, Japan registered its first case of the Zika virus since the start of the outbreak last year. The infected is a male teenager who spent almost a week in Brazil this month.

The current Zika outbreak started in Brazil in the spring of 2015. It has since spread across Latin America, with cases having been reported in several European countries and the United States. Over 1.5 million people have been infected with the virus in Brazil since the outbreak began.

Earlier this month, the World Health Organization declared the Zika virus outbreak a public health emergency.

The Zika virus affects primarily monkeys and humans and is transmitted by daytime-active mosquitoes. Transmission through blood transfusions and sexual intercourse has also been reported.

Zika does not cause serious complications in adults, but it can lead to severe brain defects in newborns.

At present, there is no vaccine available to treat the Zika virus.