WHO Declares End of Zika Emergency

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday declared that Zika no longer constitutes an international emergency, but it stressed a need for a long-term effort to address the virus, which has been linked to birth defects and neurological complications. They warned the virus, which has been found in 70 countries since the outbreak was identified last year in Brazil, will continue to spread where mosquitoes that carry the virus are present, Reuters reported. Removing the international emergency designation will put Zika in a class with other diseases, such as dengue, that pose serious risks and require continued research, including efforts to develop effective vaccines. Some experts, expressed concern that losing the “international emergency” designation might result in less support for research into the virus. The Zika virus is transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito.