Zika Virus A Global Emergency, Says UN Health Body

Ankara, 23 Rabiul Akhir 1437/2 February 2016 (MINA) – The Zika virus outbreak in the Americas was declared an international public health emergency by the World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday.

Citing its Director-General Dr Margaret Chan, the WHO posted a Twitter message describing the Zika virus and microcephaly situation as a “Public Health Emergency of Intl concern”, Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) reported, quoting Anadolu Agency.

Microcephaly is a birth defect affecting brain development in fetuses that has been linked to, but not proven to be caused by, the virus.

The WHO convened an emergency committee on the mosquito-borne virus on Monday following a sharp rise in the number of Zika cases across the Americas, where thousands of people in 22 countries and territories have been infected.

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There is no vaccine or treatment. (T/P010/R07)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)