This House of Lords Library briefing examines the recent outbreak of the Zika Virus.
The Zika Virus: Update, February 2016 (117 KB , PDF)
In May 2015, the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) issued an alert following the first confirmed case of the Zika virus in Brazil. Since then, the virus has rapidly spread within the country and to 23 other Latin American nations. With the World Health Organisation designating the Zika virus as a ‘global emergency’, PAHO predict that the Americas can “expect three to four million cases” of the Zika virus by the end of the year. Efforts to combat the virus have included Brazil’s government mobilising troops to offer advice to citizens as to how to destroy mosquito breeding grounds near and around their homes. The Governments of Colombia and El Salvador have also advised women to delay pregnancy by six months and two years, respectively, due to the reported link between the virus and Guillain-Barre syndrome and pregnant women giving birth to babies with birth defects. At present, there is no vaccine available to treat the Zika virus.
The Zika Virus: Update, February 2016 (117 KB , PDF)
While international attention has largely been focused on the Middle East and Ukraine, the civil war in Sudan continues. The UN has characterised the conflict as the “world’s largest hunger crisis”. As peace negotiations stall, concerns are rising not only for the people of Sudan but also about the conflict spreading to neighbouring states.
Between 1970 and the early 1990s, over 30,000 NHS patients were given blood transfusions, or treatments made using blood products, which were contaminated with hepatitis C or HIV. Over 3,000 people have since died, and thousands more live with health conditions. The infected blood inquiry called for immediate compensation, public memorials, and for lessons to be learned in medicine, government and the civil service. In August 2024 the government set out plans for compensation.
Vaginal mesh implants are used to repair damaged internal tissue. However, many women receiving these implants have experienced severe complications. In 2020, an independent review recommended establishing a compensation scheme for the women affected. The Conservative government rejected this recommendation, saying its focus would be on improving product safety. However, calls for redress have continued, with a subsequent review in 2024 also recommending the establishment of a compensation scheme.
