WHO to Hold Emergency Meeting Regarding Zika Virus on February 1

The Zika virus, spreading globally, is said to be the main cause of birth defects in Brazil.

The US said it will block people who have visited regions impacted by the virus from donating blood in a bid to fight its spread. (Photo: AP)

The World Health Organization will convene an emergency committee on the international response to the Zika virus outbreak that is supected of a link to birth defects in Brazil, WHO chief Margaret Chan said on Thursday.

Chan said the disease had gone from a mild threat to one of “alarming proportions”, and the committee would help determine the appropriate level of international response and research priorities.

The Zika virus is strongly suspected of causing birth defects and may infect 3-4 million people in America, including 1.5 million in Brazil, a World Health Organization expert said on Thursday.

Marcos Espinal, head of communicable diseases at PAHO, the WHO’s Americas arm, said a study would soon be published suggesting a correlation between Zika and microcephaly, babies born with small heads and brains , in Brazil.

<p> We don’t know yet if this virus crosses the placenta and generates or causes microcephaly. We think it plays a role. There’s no doubt about that,” he told the WHO’s executive board meeting in Geneva.</p>

<b>Marcos Espinal, Head of Communicable Diseases, PAHO</b>

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