According to experts, with the pace at which the virus is spreading, especially in the Americas, more cases of Zika-linked birth defects will soon surface in other countries. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the virus an international public health emergency on Monday following recommendations from UN experts and criticism over the lack of response to the virus.
"Members of the committee agreed that the situation meets the conditions for a public health emergency of international concern. I have accepted this advice," said WHO Director General Margaret Chan after a meeting of the WHO’s international health regulations emergency committee in Geneva.
The declaration, which puts Zika’s alert level on that of the Ebola virus, will fast-track funding for research aimed at dealing with the infection and creating a vaccine.
Over the past two years Ebola has claimed the lives of over 10,000 people in West Africa. The WHO has suffered widespread criticism for its slow reaction to the epidemic.
No comments:
Post a Comment