Kingsley Irish
Monday, February 1, 2016
The Zika Virus has been declared an international emergency by The World Health Organization.
Stating that the explosive spread of the Zika virus in the Americas is an "extraordinary event" , WHO declared the international emergency after their meeting of independent experts on Monday, Februray 1st.
The meeting was called as an emergency session to examine the link between Zika's arrival in Brazil last year and the reported surge in the number of babies born with abnormally small heads.
WHO Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan has also shared that there is not yet definitive proof that the Zika virus is responsible for the birth defects, but she stated that "the level of alarm is extremely high."
According to WHO estimates, there could be around 4 million cases of Zika in the Americas within the next year.
