WHO mulls calling health emergency over Zika outbreak

Taking the form of a telephone conference, the meeting is not expected to make its decision public until Tuesday at the earliest

The World Health Organisation has begun a crisis meeting considering whether the explosive spread of the mosquito-borne Zika virus — which is linked to birth defects in the Americas — should be declared a global health emergency.

The closed-door teleconference meeting of experts is considering whether international efforts to fight the outbreak should be immediately ramped up, WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier said.

The UN health agency warned last week that the mosquito-borne virus was “spreading explosively” in the Americas, with the region expected to see up to four million cases this year. The WHO is under pressure to act quickly in the fight against Zika.

Although the mosquito-borne virus’s symptoms are relatively mild, it is believed to be linked to a surge in cases of microcephaly, a devastating condition in which a baby is born with an abnormally small head and brain. While it has yet to be definitely proven that the microcephaly cases are caused in some way by the Zika virus, WHO chief Margaret Chan warned last week the causal relationship was “strongly suspected”.

Zika is also suspected of links to a neurological disorder called Guillain-Barre syndrome. Brazil, the hardest hit country, sounded the alarm in October. Amid alarm over the surge in microcephaly cases, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Jamaica and Puerto Rico have even warned women to delay conceiving until the Zika outbreak is brought under control. Jitters over Zika have spread far beyond the affected areas to Europe and North America, where dozens of cases have been identified.

In a bid to clarify what the response to the outbreak should be, WHO chief Margaret Chan called for Monday’s closed-door meeting of the organisation’s emergency committee to determine if Zika should be considered a “public health emergency of international concern”. Taking the form of a telephone conference between senior WHO officials, representatives of affected countries, and experts from around the globe, the meeting is not expected to make its decision public until Tuesday at the earliest.