"W.H.O. Declares Zika Virus an International Health Emergency"

"The World Health Organization declared the Zika virus an international public health emergency on Monday, a rare move prompted by growing concern that it could cause birth defects.

The outbreak of Zika, which is transmitted by mosquitoes, was detected in Brazil last May and has since moved into more than 20 countries in Latin America. The main worry is over the virus’s possible link to microcephaly, a condition that causes babies to be born with brain damage and unusually small heads. Reported cases of microcephaly are rising sharply in Brazil, ground zero for the disease, though researchers have yet to establish a direct link.

At a news conference in Geneva, Dr. Margaret Chan, the director general of the W.H.O, said that clusters of microcephaly in regions with Zika cases “constitute an extraordinary event and a public health threat to other parts of the world.”"

Sabrina Tavernise reports for the New York Times February 1, 2016.

SEE ALSO:

"As W.H.O. Deems Zika a Global Emergency, a Look at the World’s Failed Mosquito Policies" (Dot Earth/NYT)

"Short Answers to Hard Questions About Zika Virus" (New York Times)

"More Than 2,100 Pregnant Colombian Women Infected With Zika Virus" (Scientific American)

"Zika Virus: WHO Declares Global Public Health Emergency, Says Causal Link To Brain Defects ‘Strongly Suspected’" (Washington Post)

"As Zika Spreads, Brazil Deploys Everything From Local Workers To Troops" (Christian Science Monitor)

"How Scientists Are Working To Eradicate Zika Mosquitoes" (NPR)