WHO declares Zika-linked birth defects emergency

The World Health Organization declared the rise in birth defects linked to the Zika virus outbreak a public health emergency Monday, underscoring the seriousness of the problem and paving the way for more money, greater attention and a coordinated global response.

Doctors connect Zika, which is spread by mosquitoes, to a surge in neurological disorders and the birth defect microcephaly, in which infants are born with abnormally small heads and incomplete brain development. WHO officials say clusters of these problems — not the Zika virus itself, which usually causes mild illness — led to the declaration of a “public health emergency of international concern.”

Experts agree that Zika virus is “strongly suspected, though not yet scientifically proven” to be the cause of these problems, and “as a precautionary measure, a coordinated international response is needed,” WHO Director- General Margaret Chan said.

This is the fourth time the WHO has declared a public health emergency. The organization declared two emergencies in 2014: the Ebola outbreak in West Africa and a resurgence of polio in Syria and other countries. The H1N1 swine flu pandemic prompted an emergency in 2009.

David Heymann, chairman of the WHO Emergency Committee, said his group’s decision was a difficult one, particularly be- cause Zika alone is not a clinically serious illness in most people. But an emergency declaration will help intensify mosquito control efforts and expedite the creation of a more rigorous diagnostic test and a preventive vaccine.

Zika first appeared in the Western Hemisphere in May, and the outbreak has spread to 25 countries and territories.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said no locally transmitted cases have been reported in the contiguous USA.