Almost two years after the Zika outbreak in Brazil caught worldwide attention, the country has officially declared an end to its national health emergency.

The announcement comes shortly after a sharp decline in cases.

From January to April of last year, there were over 170,500 reported cases, the health ministry announced in a statement this month. During the same time this year, there were a little over 7,900 cases. That’s about a 95% decrease.

The ministry added that there were no recorded deaths by zika in 2017. Last year, there were eight.

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The mosquito-borne virus has been linked with microcephaly — which causes babies to be born  with severely small skulls. Along with microcephaly, experts say that depending on how early in the pregnancy their mothers contracted Zika, affected children may develop other birth defects like joint or brain malformation. Many have seizures and struggle to see, hear, sit up, and eat.

Much is still unknown about how these babies will grow and develop.

The first photos of the defect caused worldwide panic. When health officials declared that the virus could be transmitted through sexual contact with an infected person, concern doubled. Many canceled their flights to Zika-infected places.

The health threat came just as Brazil was preparing to host the 2016 Olympics.

In response, the country, which was at the epicenter of the virus in South America, launched a campaign to eradicate mosquitoes that carry the virus.

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Last February, President Dilma Rousseff and 27 cabinet ministers along with 220,000 troops personally visited around three million homes across 356 towns, reported Reuters. The pamphlets read: “A mosquito isn’t stronger than a whole country.”

As a result, World Health Organization (WHO) lifted its own international emergency in November last year.

The virus, however, remains a threat. And as of now, there is still no treatment.

“The end of the emergency doesn’t mean the end of surveillance or assistance to affected families,” said Adeilson Cavalcante, the secretary for the health surveillance at Brazil’s health ministry. “The health ministry and other organizations involved in this area will maintain a policy of fighting Zika.”

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Brazil Declares Zika Emergency Is Over, But Virus Still Remains A Threat

By Gabriella Canal