Zika virus: World Health Organisation declares public health emergency

UN body acts over mosquito-borne virus linked to serious birth defects which is ‘spreading explosively’ across the Americas

 Nadja Cristina Gomes Bezerra holds her three-month-old daughter, Alice Vitoria, who has microcephaly. Photograph: Mario Tama/Getty Images

Monday 1 February 2016

The World Health Organisation has declared a “public health emergency of international concern” due to the apparent link of the Zika virus to a surge in serious birth defects in South America.

WHO chief Margaret Chan said the link between the Zika virus and microcephaly was “strongly suspected but not yet scientifically proven.”

“After a review of the evidence, the committee advised that the clusters of microcephaly and other neurological complications constitute an extraordinary event and public health threat to other parts of the world,” Chan said.

She said an international coordinated response was necessary, although there was no reason to introduce restrictions on travel or trade. Mosquito control was the top concern, she said.

The designation was recommended by a committee of independent experts, and should help fast-track international action and research priorities.

Chan advised pregnant women to take measures to protect themselves.

“If you can delay travel and it does not affect your other family commitments, it is something they can consider,” she said. “If they need to travel, they can get advice from their physician and take personal protective measures, like wearing long sleeves and shirts and pants and use mosquito repellent.”

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