The head of the World Health Organization said Monday that the Zika virus shows the folly of banning abortion or birth control.
Outgoing WHO Director Dr. Margaret Chan addressed the health body’s general assembly on the Zika virus and other health issues facing the world.
The virus has hit Latin American countries the hardest, and Chan said that policies outlawing birth control and abortion have not helped. The virus is linked to the birth defect microcephaly.
“Zika reveals an extreme consequence of the failure to provide universal access to sexual and family planning services,” said Chan, who will leave her position in June 2017. “Latin America and the Caribbean have the highest proportion of unintended pregnancies anywhere in the world.”
Chan said part of the reason for the resurgence of Zika and other mosquito-borne viruses such as dengue and chikungunya is due to past mistakes on mosquito control. The virus is mainly spread through mosquito bites and in some cases through sex.
“The spread of Zika, the resurgence of dengue and the emerging threat from chikungunya are the price being paid for a massive policy failure that dropped the ball on mosquito control in the 1970s,” she said.
Mosquitoes aren’t spreading Zika in the continental U.S., although more than 1,100 cases have been documented in Puerto Rico. However, health officials expect “limited outbreaks” when mosquito season hits.
