The Latest: Honduras Declares Emergency to Fight Zika Virus

GENEVA — The Latest on developments regarding the Zika virus (all times local):

 

4:45 a.m.

 

The government of Honduras has declared a state of national emergency, saying it has recorded 3,649 suspected cases of Zika virus infections in less than three months.

 

Health minister Yolani Batres is urging Hondurans to clean up their homes and communities and remove outdoor water containers that serve as breeding grounds for the Aedes aegypti mosquitoes that can transmit Zika.

 

The health ministry says the government has reactivated the National Risk Management System to coordinate preventive measures against Zika. Thousands of teachers, students, parents and public officials have begun eradicating breeding sites around schools in the Central American country.

 

Monday’s announcement came hours after the World Health Organization called the Zika outbreak in the Americans an international emergency.

 

4:15 a.m.

 

The president of the International Olympic Committee is expressing confidence there will be good conditions for athletes and spectators at the Rio de Janeiro Games this summer despite the explosive spread of the Zika virus in the Americas.

 

Speaking in Los Angeles on Monday, Thomas Bach praised the steps being taken to combat the outbreak. He also welcomed the declaration by the World Health Organization earlier in the day that the Zika outbreak is an “extraordinary event” that is an international emergency.

 

Read More: The Latest: Honduras Declares Emergency to Fight Zika Virus – The New York Times