The United Nations health agency today called an emergency meeting for next Monday to counter the “dramatic” rise in Zika virus infection, which is strongly suspected of causing birth malformations, warning that it could spread even further afield amid an “extremely high” level of alarm.
“The situation today is dramatically different,” UN World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Margaret Chan said in Geneva, noting that for decades the disease, transmitted by the Aedes genus of mosquito, “slumbered,” affecting mainly monkeys and occasionally causing a mild disease of low concern in humans.
“Last year, the virus was detected in the Americas, where it is now spreading explosively. As of today, cases have been reported in 23 countries and territories in the region,” she added in convening an Emergency Committee under the International Health Regulations on the current epidemic which was first reported by Brazil in May before spreading across the region.
“The level of concern is high, as is the level of uncertainty. Questions abound. We need to get some answers quickly. I am asking the Committee for advice on the appropriate level of international concern and for recommended measures that should be undertaken in affected countries and elsewhere. I will also ask the Committee to prioritize areas where research is most urgently needed.”
Ms. Chan noted that the virus in some places has been associated with a steep increase in the birth of babies with abnormally small heads, known as microcephaly, and with cases of the sometimes fatal Guillain-Barre syndrome, although a causal relationship with Zika virus infection has not yet been established, but is strongly suspected.
“The possible links, only recently suspected, have rapidly changed the risk profile of Zika, from a mild threat to one of alarming proportions,” she said. “The increased incidence of microcephaly is particularly alarming, as it places a heart-breaking burden on families and communities. WHO is deeply concerned about this rapidly evolving situation.”
She warned of the potential for Zika to spread even further internationally given the wide geographical distribution of the mosquito vector, and cited the lack of population immunity in newly affected areas and the absence of vaccines, specific treatments, and rapid diagnostic tests.
Moreover, conditions associated with this year’s El Niño weather pattern, which causes droughts in parts of the world and floods in others, are expected to increase mosquito populations greatly in many areas.
Via UN News Centre