Officials from the World Health Organization (WHO) have put the world on alert about the Zika virus, which is now “spreading explosively” and could soon affect up to 4 million people around the Americas.
“The level of alarm is extremely high,” WHO general-director Margaret Chan said in a briefing. “Last year the virus was detected in the Americas, where it is now spreading explosively.”
Chan warned that the “wide geographic distribution of the mosquito” that transmits the disease poses a major risk for global health. WHO has decided to convene an emergency committee on the Zika virus to evaluate possible solutions.
