In light of the confirmation of the circulation of virus zika 15 May 2015 in the Northeast of Brazil and 16 October in Colombia, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), and the World Health Organization (WHO) urged to the Member States that establish and maintain the ability to detect and confirm cases of virus infection zika.

The Ministry of Public Health of Ecuador (MPH), through the National Directorate of Epidemiological Surveillance, confirms that up to 9 January 2016 the two (2) first cases ratified by laboratory have been reported, infected by virus zika. The patients who they are Ecuadorian and living in Quito, they presented skin rash (rash), fever, pruritus, headache, pain generalized in articulations, conjunctival hyperemia. As a part of the process of epidemiological surveillance, there were collected blood samples that they were sent to the Research Institute National in Health Public (INSPI). The blood was processed for dengue and chikungunya, according to the current protocol, with positive resulted negative result for both and later for zika.

Epidemiological research confirms the presence of cases of zika imported in Ecuador. The patients traveled by reason for the holiday season to the city of Neiva (capital of the department of Huila, endemic area of dengue and chikungunya, with 408 confirmed cases of zika) remaining in Colombia of 22 December 2015 to 5 January 2016. They currently are receiving treatment in the city from Quito where there is no presence of the vector (mosquitoes of the gender Aedes aegypti). Regarding the suspicion of cases of zika in areas where there exists the presence of the vector the actions of epidemiological surveillance and vector control have intensified. For such reason the MPH strengthened the vector control measures in the winter stage that is initiating in the country. There increased the promotion of behavioral changes focused to the destruction of breeding sites and self-defense at individual, family, and community level.

MS do Brasil:

On 28 November 2015, the Ministry of Health of Brazil established the relationship between the increase in microcephaly in the northeast of the country and the virus infection zika after the detection of the genome of the virus in blood samples and tissue of a newborn, dead to the 5 minutes after being born. In light of this the MPH tries to ensure the timely capture of the pregnant women in the first trimester of the pregnancy for which there are offered the diagnostic tests that they make it possible to identify through ultrasound, the birth defects in the fetus.

The regulatory entity of the health of the country guarantees the application of the definitions of case on the part of medical all staff in the different levels of care of the National Health System. Furthermore, it promotes a massive media campaign alerting the population on the measures of self-care and elimination of breeding sites to prevent zika, dengue and chikungunya.

Within the recommendations that ago the MPH in light of these cases it is to identify and to report on a timely basis the unusual increase of neurological complications of newborns and population in general that they are not explained by other conditions medical. The MPH maintains the epidemiological alert issued on 20 October 2015 and the Preparedness Plan and Response, and the Operational Technical Guidelines that include case definition, differential diagnosis between dengue, chikungunya, measles and zika, taking and transportation of samples to the reference laboratory, report and report.

http:/reliefweb.int/report/ecuador/ecuador-confirms-two-cases-impor tados-of-zika