Word yesterday that World Health Organization (WHO) officials have said that the Zika virus (ZIKV) is “spreading explosively” in the Americas is not very comforting, especially to people living in this region.

According to WHO Director General Dr Margaret Chan, “the level of alarm is extremely high”.

With concern growing over the spread of the virus, the WHO has called an emergency meeting for next Monday to decide whether to declare a public health emergency.

That meeting can’t come too soon, given heightened suspicion that the Zika virus is the cause of microcephaly, a rare condition that results in babies being born with abnormally small heads.

We have also been told that babies who develop the condition in the womb may not live full-term, may be born prematurely, may be stillborn, or may survive but with lifelong disability.

While there is still no scientific determination that the virus is at the root of, or contributes to microcephaly, health officials are saying that there are indications that both are linked.

It’s a most frightening thought, and our health authorities in Jamaica have done the right thing in advising couples to delay pregnancy, at least for the next 12 months, out of an abundance of caution.

On Wednesday, health authorities in Brazil confirmed that reported cases of microcephaly had increased to 4,180 since October, a seven per cent jump over the total last week.

Thankfully, so far in Jamaica, we have not received any reports of the condition. Neither have we heard of any cases of the Zika virus. We note that Health Minister Horace Dalley has said that suspected cases which were promptly tested proved negative. But, as we have already stated in this space, the arrival of ZIKV here is just a matter of when.

With that in mind, this newspaper is issuing an appeal to Jamaicans who, driven by scepticism of the virus’ arrival here, are ignoring the advisories issued by local health officials.

This week, the Sunday Observer reported National Family Planning Board chair Dr Sandra Knight as saying that many women of fertility age are not taking the messages seriously.

In that same edition, we reported young women describing as unfair the health ministry’s advice to delay pregnancies.

“I understand the concern that they have, but it is kind of unfair to those that have been trying for years to just all of a sudden stop trying,” one young lady told the Sunday Observer.

Delaying pregnancy is a tough ask for any family, especially in cases where there exists the possibility of complications related to age.

While we appreciate the right of people to choose to procreate, we certainly would not wish for the expectations associated with the birth of new life to be deflated in any way.

Therefore, every Jamaican should consider it their duty to ensure that mosquito-breeding sites are destroyed. The Government, to its credit, is doing its part by implementing proactive measures to prevent the virus spreading, as was the case with CHIKV.

But this is not a job for the Government alone. We all have a role to play.