The battle to stop the Zika virus in its tracks

Brazil must close ranks if it is to win the war against the pest that carries Zika, writes Liz Braga

Saturday, February 13, 2016, was D-Day in Brazil, the launch of the most important battle yet in the war against Aedes aegypti, the mosquito that transmits the viruses that causes yellow fever, dengue, chikungunya and Zika.

Armed with insecticides and leaflets, and accompanied by thousands of soldiers, the Brazilian government — including President Dilma Rousseff and almost all the ministers —took to the streets to convince people to do everything they could to rid their homes of the mosquito.