Africa, Asia Susceptible to Spread of Zika Virus–WHO

The World Health Organisation (WHO), on Wednesday in Geneva, warned that Africa, Asia are susceptible to the spread of Zika virus. WHO Director for Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health, Anthony Costello, said if there is confirmation that the mosquitoes that carried the Zika virus, were present in Africa, parts of southern Europe and Asia, particularly South Asia, could be be greatly affected by the virus. Costello said the organisation had declared an international public health emergency due to Zika’s link to thousands of recent birth defects in Brazil. He further added that WHO had set up a global response unit. The unit is to bring together all people across WHO, in headquarters, in the regions, to deal with a formal response using all the steps followed during the Ebola crisis. He reiterated that the move had become important, because there was great concern that Zika could also spread back to other areas of the world where the population may not be immune. Costello stressed that the WHO was drafting guidelines for pregnant women and bringing together experts to work on a definition of microcephaly including a standardised measurement of baby heads.