According to Human Rights Watch, Brazil has not addressed long-standing human rights issues that allowed the Zika outbreak to worsen, leaving the population vulnerable to future outbreaks and other serious public health risks. The government declared the end of the national public health emergency related to the Zika virus in May 2017.
The Human Rights Watch report, “Neglected and Unprotected: The 
Impact of the Zika Outbreak on Women and Girls in Northeastern Brazil,” documents gaps in the response of Brazilian authorities that have a detrimental impact on women and girls and leave the general population vulnerable to ongoing outbreaks of serious mosquito-borne diseases. Government investments in water and sanitation infrastructure have been inadequate. Thus, years of neglect have contributed to water and sewage conditions that allowed the proliferation of the Aedes mosquito and the rapid spread of the virus, concluded Human Rights Watch.
The report states that more than a third of Brazil’s population lacks access to a continuous water supply. This leaves people with no choice but to fill tanks and other containers with water for domestic use, which can inadvertently become potential mosquito breeding grounds if left uncovered and untreated. More than 35 million people in Brazil lack adequate facilities and services for the safe disposal of human waste.
In 2017, the number of Zika cases, and the number of babies born with virus-related disabilities, fell dramatically compared to the same period in 2016, but authorities need to keep their eyes open and address the roots of the problem, concludes the report.
Source: Human Rights Watch