THE Director General of the World Health Organisation, WHO, Dr. Margaret Chan, is convening an International Health Regulations Emergency Committee on Zika virus today in Geneva, Switzerland, to ascertain whether the Zika virus outbreak constitutes a public health emergency of international concern.
The committee is meeting even as German researchers say they have developed a diagnostic test that can accurately detect the Zika virus in humans. Previously, there was no way to diagnose the illness apart from appearance of the distinctive symptoms.
A mosquito-borne illness, Zika virus disease has been in the news due to a suspected relationship between infection in pregnant women and birth defects, including microcephaly, a rare birth defect that stunts the growth of a baby’s brain and head. Many children with microcephaly have some degree of mental disability, and the condition is linked to a shorter life span.
A mosquito-borne illness, Zika virus disease has been in the news due to a suspected relationship between infection in pregnant women and birth defects, including microcephaly, a rare birth defect that stunts the growth of a baby’s brain and head. Many children with microcephaly have some degree of mental disability, and the condition is linked to a shorter life span.