REUTERS — The mosquito-borne Zika virus linked to an outbreak of birth defects in Latin America could spread to Asia and Africa, the World Health Organization told a press briefing at its Geneva-based headquarters on Tuesday.
“The complications of this relatively mild illness do have potentially devastating effects, for families to have a child with microcephaly, and to have a tenfold increase in numbers and the potential for spread, not just across Latin America, but into Africa, into Asia which have the highest birthrates in the world,” said Dr. Anthony Costello, the WHO director for maternal, child and adolescent health.
Costello said there is still a lack of effective diagnostic tests to detect Zika early in pregnancy before the virus emerges actively. Many pregnant women who are exposed to the virus remain undiagnosed.
The WHO on Monday declared the Zika virus a global public health emergency due to its possible link to around 4,000 suspected cases of microcephaly in Brazil, in which infants are born with smaller-than-usual heads.
“There are simple measures that we want to promote, that can help keep people safe, including using insect repellent. Just to go more into details: covering as much of the body as possible with long, light-colored clothing, removing places where mosquitoes can breed and putting screens on windows and doors. And also some advice, for instance, pregnant women who think they have been exposed to the virus should seek care by a trained health provider,” said Christophe Boulierac, a spokesperson for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).