An emergency committee convened by the World Health Organization (WHO) Monday will discuss what measures should be taken to Zika slow the spread of the mosquito -Internet virus spreading rapidly across Latin America. Director General of WHO Margaret Chan, announced today the group at a meeting of the Executive Board of WHO in Geneva, saying that "[t] he alarm level is extremely high." Zika virus is suspected of causing severe birth defects and occasional but severe neurological complications in adults. The virus has spread to 23 countries in the Western Hemisphere, after emerging in Brazil in May 2015.
The committee will decide whether the epidemic should be designated "public health emergency of international concern." this would allow WHO to issue travel restrictions and would also be a strong signal that more resources should be devoted to the study and the fight against the virus. The last emergency was declared in August 2014 against the Ebola outbreak in West Africa; it is still in place today. WHO has been widely criticized for taking this step several months too late.
today announced Chan is an important first step in the fight against Zika said Lawrence Gostin, an expert in global health law at Georgetown University in Washington, DC He was a writer a commentary published yesterday in the Journal of the American Medical Association who criticized wHO for acting too slowly in its response to the epidemic. "WHO recognizes the urgency of finally Zika," he said. "It's a promising start. Now we have to follow words with actions. "The Agency should provide technical assistance to the affected countries to help with the mosquito control-currently the only defense against the disease and should coordinate research on key questions about how the disease spreads, how it might impact on fetal development, and the development of vaccines, said Gostin.
these questions are the order of the day Monday Chan said today. She called the epidemic and increasing a birth defect known as microcephaly "a heartbreaking burden on families and communities." babies with microcephaly have smaller heads than normal, which usually indicates that the brain has failed to develop properly. The condition can be caused by drug use, genetic mutations, or infection in utero.
Brazil has seen a spike in cases microcephaly after Zika began to spread there. Since October, the Brazilian health authorities have registered more than 4000 cases. But a spokesman for the Ministry of Health said yesterday that these initial numbers may be too high. When officials looked closer over 700 cases, they found that 462 of them could be ruled-or babies are not microcephaly or condition could be attributed to causes such as drug abuse by mother. The authorities were able to confirm 270 cases due to infections, but so far, only six have been confirmed as positive for Zika.
The number of open questions about Zika is another reason for WHO to encourage more research and try to coordinate efforts so that the answers can come more quickly, said Gostin. "They dropped the ball on Ebola. Virus There is a real concern that WHO lacks the capacity to lead. This will give them a chance to show they can do it."
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