Zika virus linked to birth defects is international emergency, WHO says
The World Health Organization has declared the mosquito-borne Zika virus to be an international public health emergency due to its link to thousands of suspected cases of birth defects in Brazil.
WHO Director-General Margaret Chan told reporters on February 1 coordinated international action was needed to improve detection and speed work on a vaccine and better diagnostics for the disease, although curbs on travel or trade were not necessary.
The emergency designation was recommended by a committee of independent experts to the UN agency following criticism of a hesitant response so far. The move should help fast-track international action and research priorities.
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| World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Margaret Chan (R) |
"Members of the committee agreed that the situation meets the conditions for a public health emergency of international concern. I have accepted this advice," Chan told a news briefing at WHO headquarters.
The WHO said last week the Zika virus, carried by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, was "spreading explosively" and could infect as many as 4 million people in the Americas. Brazil is due to host the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in August.
