WHO to convene emergency committee for Zika virus
Xinhua, January 28, 2016 Adjust font size:
The World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday said it would convene an International Health Regulations emergency committee on the Zika virus to ascertain whether the outbreak constitutes a public health emergency of international concern.
In a statement, WHO said it observed an increase in neurological disorders and neonatal malformations.
A causal relationship between Zika virus infection and birth defects and neurological syndromes has not been established, but is strongly suspected, WHO said.
In May 2015, Brazil reported its first case of Zika virus disease. Since then, the disease has spread within Brazil and to 22 other countries and territories in the region.
According to WHO, the arrival of the virus in some countries of the Americas, notably Brazil, has been associated with a steep increase in the birth of babies with abnormally small heads and in cases of Guillain-Barre syndrome, a poorly understood condition in which the immune system attacks the nervous system, sometimes resulting in paralysis.
WHO's Regional Office for the Americas (PAHO) has been working closely with affected countries since the outbreak in Brazil.
WHO will also prioritize the development of vaccines and new tools to control certain mosquito populations, as well as improving diagnostic tests. Endit