WHO Begins Special Meeting on Zika Virus Amid Rising Concern

Marcelo Castro, Brazil’s health minister, said the epidemic was worse than believed because in 80 per cent of the cases the infected people had no symptoms.

While it has yet to be definitively proven that the microcephaly cases are caused in some way by the Zika virus, World Health Organization chief Margaret Chan warned last week that a causal relationship was “strongly suspected”.

The World Health Organization has convened a meeting of researchers and health officials to determine whether the Zika virus should be declared a global health emergency.

Thomas Cook confirmed today that it will allow pregnant women who are due to travel to Jamaica through its Signature programme free amendments, although a spokeswoman said the numbers booked were small.

Since the mosquito-borne disease was first detected in Brazil in May 2015, the virus has spread to more than 20 countries.

“Zika has never killed a person and it is transmitted by the mosquito”, he said.

Up until now, it was thought the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which is confined to the tropics, was exclusively spreading the virus.

The Zika virus outbreak spurred global panic as more cases were reported.

Geneva specialists towards the Earth Health Business started deliberating on Friday whether to state a worldwide crisis within the Zika virus, that has been associated with a large number of birth defects in Brazil. The mosquito is a vector for the proliferation of the Zika virus spreading throug…

Research is being done to develop a rapid test which could look for antibodies after a patient has recovered from the virus, making it possible to test for immunity.

“We have to have a human in the area that’s infected, that is then infecting the mosquitoes in the area”, says Brown.

The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention has issued travel warnings for pregnant women in countries mostly in Latin America and the Caribbean.

A student at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Va., has contracted the Zika virus, but appears to pose no health risk, according to school officials.

The lack of treatment and preventive options has led officials in Colombia, Jamaica and El Salvador to advise women to avoid getting pregnant so long as the Zika threat remains.