Uma leitura crítica das emergências em saúde global:O caso da epidemia de Zika de 2016

The study of the establishment of the global health agenda and its priorities has been, over the last years, one the priorities in a critical literature that aims to identify the political dimensions of global health governance, and that also sheds light on the points of tensionl exclusiom and inequality. This essay is positioned into this global health critical literature, focusing on the construction of the category of emergencies of international concern. Considering in particular the case regarding the Zika outbreak and the congenital syndrome in Brazil, in 2016, explore the conditions that allow the construction of an emergency. We question the factors and conditions around this public health event that ultimately were considered during the decision-making process, and go beyond the material, more objective data regarding the epidemiology of Zika, its morbi-mortality or the association with congenital malformations. We conclude that the securitized context and the growing importance of risk to global health are important conditions to understanding the declaration of emergencies.