The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared an international public health emergency over the explosive spread of the mosquito-borne Zika virus.
It was announced after WHO’s emergency meeting of independent experts headed by WHO Director-General Margaret Chan. The meeting was convened in Geneva, Switzerland to assess the outbreak of the virus which is linked to birth defects in the Americas.
About Zika virus
- Zika virus is a mosquito-borne virus transmitted by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes.
- The virus was first identified in 1947 in Uganda.
- It is close cousin of other other vector-borne diseases like Dengue, Chikungunya and Yellow Fever transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes .
- Zika virus is not contagious but it is mainly transmitted by daytime-active Aedes aegypti mosquitoes after it bites someone infected with the virus and transmit it by biting another human.
- There is no specific treatment or vaccine currently available. The best form of prevention is protection against mosquito bites and clearing stagnant water where mosquitoes breed.
The main worry is over the virus’s possible link to microcephaly, a condition that causes babies to be born with unusually small heads and, in the vast majority of cases, damaged brains.