WHO calls end to Zika public health emergency

The public health emergency surrounding the outbreak of the Zika virus has been brought to an end by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Official Public Health Emergency of International Concern status was given to the Zika outbreak in February 2016 following a spate of cases of microcephaly and other neurological disorders reported in Brazil, following a similar cluster in French Polynesia, which were linked to Zika virus infection.

With research now having demonstrated the link between Zika virus infection and microcephaly, it has been deemed that a longer-term technical mechanism is required to manage the global response to the disease's spread.

Although the issue remains a "significant enduring public health challenge" in the eyes of the WHO, the organisation has decided that the Zika problem can no longer be described as an emergency.

It was acknowledged that many aspects of this disease and its associated consequences are still poorly understood, with an ongoing research programme to investigate these issues further.

The statement said: "The emergency committee recommended that this should be escalated into a sustained programme of work with dedicated resources to address the long-term nature of the disease and its associated consequences."

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