ECOSOC: Briefing on the Zika Virus

Briefing on the Zika Virus

ECOSOC was briefed by the World Health Organization Office

at the UN and the Pan American Health Organization

Statement by FAO LON Director Carla Mucavi

16 February 2016, New York

 

              

Thank you Mr. President for giving me the floor and also for organizing this briefing on an issue which is of high interest of all of us.

 

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

 

FAO with its resources and expertise, is ready to do its part in addressing this emergency which continues to evolve.

 

As the leading UN agency on animal health and pest control, FAO can assist affected nations with targeted interventions while ensuring that people and the environment are not exposed to health and other risks stemming from the inappropriate use of potentially dangerous chemicals.

 

It is likely that at least in the short term we will see a dramatic increase in the use of insecticides to spray mosquito populations or treat waters.

 

FAO strongly urges that if the intensive use of insecticides is indeed required, then it is essential that it be done with great care to promote safety for humans and to protect the food chain from contamination. On this we are in a strong position to provide support to affected countries and regions combating the spread of Zika.

 

FAO, in a joint programme with WHO, has developed a set of recommendations on the sound management of insecticides.

 

FAO’s work on agriculture and health threats due to climate change, agro-ecosystems and land use policies, and early warning of possible disease events, can be useful to forecast and ensure countries have their preparedness plans in place.  FAO’s proven record in animal disease control can be beneficial and countries need to come together to address this problem together.

 

But besides the use of insecticides, there are other ways to combat the spread of the Zika virus.

 

One possible longer term solution is the Sterile Insect Technique (STI) that has been developed at the FAO-IAEA Joint Programme on Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture. This is a form of pest control that uses ionizing radiation to sterilize male insect pests that are mass-produced in special rearing facilities. It has been successfully used worldwide for over 50 years for various agricultural insect pests, such as fruit flies and tsetse flies. Its deployment against disease-transmitting mosquitoes, such as the carrier of the Zika, is ongoing with some pilots already successfully completed and others showing promising results.

 

In addition, the FAO-IAEA joint programme has been at the forefront in supporting the use of Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR). This proven and efficient nuclear-derived technique can detect a virus within three hours. Early detection enables countries to take immediate action against any outbreak.

 

In concluding, I would like to underline that FAO can contribute to these and other measures. For instance our vast network of workers at field level who for decades have worked with communities and families and have built trusting relationships can bring the right health and safety messages to the people who need them most.

 

We all will have to work closely together to ensure that the threat and the spread of Zika virus is brought under control.

 

Thank you Mr.President