September, 09 2016, 09:45am EDT
New Report Links Zika Virus to Steep Increase in Birth Defects in Brazil
Poverty Fueling Zika Spread Amidst Debt Crises
WASHINGTON
A new study published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention connects the spreading Zika virus to a significant increase in birth defects in Brazil. According to the study, birth defects involving the nervous system nearly doubled after Zika arrived in Brazil, and researchers linked the virus' spread to poverty and living conditions in Northeast Brazil. Brazil is currently in the deepest recession of its history and its debt grew 33% in the past 5 years relative to the size of its economy.
"Poverty is a central cause of the Zika health crisis," noted Eric LeCompte, executive director of the religious development coalition Jubilee USA, which led efforts that cancelled $100 million in debt to support healthcare initiatives in Ebola-impacted West African countries in 2015. "What we're seeing in Brazil and in Puerto Rico, and what we saw with Ebola, is that poverty fuels the spread of infectious disease."
"Because of the poverty, we have a more closely packed population and sanitary conditions are worse [in Northeast Brazil where the virus is most prevalent]," Zika researcher Dr. Jamary Oliveira Filho told CNN. "It's the perfect setup for epidemic to occur, where there's already inadequate social conditions." The study noted malnutrition and contaminated drinking water could additionally encourage the virus to spread.
Brazil, the 9th largest economy in the world, is struggling to fund government services as its debt grows. More than 20% of its population lives below the poverty line and the ratings agency Moody's downgraded Brazilian bonds to "junk" status in 2016. In Puerto Rico, over 15,000 residents have tested positive for the Zika virus while the government cuts health care spending amidst a growing debt crisis.
"Brazil's economy is at a critical juncture," stated LeCompte, who serves on UN expert working groups on debt. "Brazil's debt could prevent economic recovery and the consequences could be dire for its people."
Read the report: "Increased Hospitalizations for Neuropathies as Indicators of Zika Virus Infection"
Read more about debt relief for Ebola-impacted countries
Read a timeline of Puerto Rico's debt crisis
Jubilee USA Network is an interfaith, non-profit alliance of religious, development and advocacy organizations. We are 75 U.S. institutions and more than 750 faith groups working across the United States and around the globe. We address the structural causes of poverty and inequality in our communities and countries around the world.
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White House Needs a Strategy for Combating Islamophobia, Say Rights Groups
"Any genuine attempt to combat Islamophobia must start with the government acknowledging the harm it continues to inflict both domestically and internationally, and offering adequate redress to affected communities at home and globally."
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Nearly 100 organizations joined Muslims for Just Futures on Tuesday in calling on U.S. President Joe Biden to introduce a White House Islamophobia Strategy that centers government accountability and solidarity with Muslim and Arab American communities, demanding that the Biden administration honor the "lived experiences" of people who have faced Islamophobic attacks that have ramped up since Hamas attacked southern Israel last October.
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The memorandum was released as a research scholar at Arizona State University, Jonathan Yudelman, was reported to be on leave after cellphone video last weekend captured him intimidating and yelling at a women wearing a hijab.
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President Biden is right to halt bomb deliveries to this extreme Israeli government.
But this must be a first step. The U.S. must now use ALL its leverage to demand a ceasefire, stop attacks on Rafah, and secure delivery of massive humanitarian aid throughout Gaza. pic.twitter.com/Td3aRfpBya
— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) May 8, 2024
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