Obama and Rousseff met in Washington, discussed combating the Zika virus

US President Barack Obama and Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff met in Washington and discussed combating the dangerous Zika virus that has appeared in Brazil and threatens the entire world, reports the Patria News Agency. 

The two leaders agreed that cooperation and the exchange of knowledge and scientific research are essential in the fight against the Zika virus, and that it is extremely important to accelerate work on the development of vaccines and other technologies to control the virus, the White House announced. Brazil is losing the battle against the spread of the Zika virus, Rousseff stated and called for the eradication of mosquitoes in the country.

The Olympic Games, which are being held in Rio de Janeiro this August, are also at risk.

The Zika virus epidemic began in Martinique and Guyana at the end of December, and it is an extremely dangerous virus for pregnant women as it can cause deformities or even death of the child. The virus is transmitted from person to person through the bite of the Aedes aegypti mosquito and can cause neurological complications. Zika is the latest virus transmitted by mosquitoes from the flaviviridae family that has emerged in the last 20 years.