The suspected link between the Zika virus and two neurological disorders, the birth defect microcephaly and Guillain-Barre syndrome, could be confirmed within weeks, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Friday. Brazil’s Health Ministry issued fresh figures on Friday, reporting 4,314 suspected and confirmed cases of microcephaly. Researchers have identified evidence of Zika infection in 41 of these cases, either in the baby or in the mother. But scientists have not confirmed that Zika can cause microcephaly, Reuters reported. “It seems indeed that the link with Zika (and microcephaly) is becoming more and more probable, so I think that we need a few more weeks and a few more studies to have this straight,” Marie-Paule Kieny, WHO assistant director-general for health systems and innovation, told a news briefing in Geneva.
