Postal Services Don't Give ZIKA a Bitting Chance!
ZIKA virus: Posts share the message of prevention!
On 1 February 2016, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the spread of the Zika virus a "public health emergency of international concern".
The Zika virus, a mosquito-borne virus that is new to the Americas, has spread rapidly because the population of the Americas had not previously been exposed to it and lacks immunity. Since Brazil reported the first cases of local transmission of the virus in May 2015, it has spread to 34 countries and territories of the Americas. The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the regional office of WHO for the Americas, estimates that 3 to 4 million people will be affected by the Zika virus in the next months.
Studies are being conducted to assess the virus’ possible links to microcephaly and Guillain Barre syndrome, two severe conditions. Work is also continuing on research and development in vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics for Zika virus. On 11 February, researchers and reputable institutions have committed to make freely available their future discoveries on the Zika virus, an unusual practice in the scientific community that they justify by the urgency to know more about this virus and curb the epidemic. In a joint statement, the journals Nature, Science and The Lancet, the Chinese Academy of Science, the French Pasteur Institute, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Japanese Agency for Medical Research estimate that the data on this virus are "a vital tool in the fight against the health emergency”. Their arguments are compelling.
Since its Emergency Committee of 1 February, WHO has multiplied the calls to “effectively communicate with the public on risks and prevention measures”. The Universal Postal Union (UPU), the United Nations agency in charge of the development of the postal sector, immediately offered its support.
Critical outreach capabilities
With more than 50,000 post offices in Latin America and the Caribbean, the postal network has tremendous outreach possibilities. It can play a valuable role in spreading public health messages.
Therefore, today, the UPU’s 36 Member-countries and their postal services in the region have been invited to join a new campaign aimed at raising awareness of ways to reduce the risk of transmission of the Zika virus.
To this end, in cooperation with PAHO, the UPU has prepared campaign materials for display in post offices and other workplaces. Wherever possible, posts have also been urged to print and distribute the leaflets to their customers, at home or to their 1,200,000 post office boxes, and to publish them on their website and in newsletters.
The five posters are available in in English, Spanish and Portuguese and French. They will be provided to each postal service for immediate implementation of the campaign. All the posters can be downloaded from the UPU's website.
With technical assistance of the UPU, Posts will also be encouraged to lead by example by training their employees and providing volunteerism support in identifying and reporting possible breeding sites and isolated affected people to local health authorities and ensure swift reaction by health experts.
In the face of this public health emergency, we are calling on Posts to once again demonstrate the relevance of the postal network as a development and communication infrastructure.
I am truly convinced that Posts can make a difference and help to halt the spread of the virus by bringing the prevention message to their employees and the general public. After the 2011 HIV/Aids initiative and the 2014 Chikungunya crusade, it is the third health-awareness campaign we launch at the UPU. If it doesn’t seem obvious at first, just remember that the Post office is, on average, the closest public official agency nearby, and that it’s the most trusted one.
The postal network is therefore a partner of choice. It is also a partner of responsibility.
Your post office cares, protect yourself !
NB : While investigation continues into possible modes of Zika transmission, the WHO has stated there is no reason at this point to suspect that transmission is possible through the handling of mail. The UPU, in cooperation with PAHO and WHO will keep monitoring the situation and stands ready to expand this campaign to other regions.
For more information on the Zika virus, watch this 2’ video by PAHO – highlighting ways to prevent, symptoms, treatments and actions to take to reduce breeding sites: