Members of a WHO committee agreed that the spread of the Zika virus meets the conditions for a public health emergency of international concern, according to a statement on WHO’s website. Health officials believe that the virus could be linked to serious side effects. 
    Here is a primer:

• The Zika virus: The virus is transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes. It is usually not a problem. Most people with the Zika virus have a mild fever and skin rash. Others also get conjunctivitis and joint pain, according to WHO. Symptoms normally last two to seven days. The virus has circulated in Africa, the Americas, Asia and the Pacific.

• A greater threat: During outbreaks in French Polynesia in 2013 and Brazil in 2015, health officials reported more serious complications. In Brazil, there has been an increase in babies born with microcephaly -- a rare condition in which an infant’s head is smaller than normal. (See an article on the condition on the Mayo Clinic website.) The WHO website indicated, however, that health officials are still unsure whether there is a direct relationship between the virus and this condition. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also reports that Guillain-Barré syndrome -- a disorder in which the body's immune system attacks part of the nervous system -- has been reported in patients with probable Zika virus infection in French Polynesia and Brazil. Again, it’s uncertain whether the virus causes Guillain-Barre. (See an article on Guillain-Barre on the National Institutes of Health website.)

• The history: The Zika virus was first identified in Uganda in 1947 in monkeys, the WHO website says.  It was identified in humans in 1952 in Uganda and the United Republic of Tanzania.
  

• WHO’s role: WHO is an organ of the United Nations, and, as such, it is a supranational organization. The word supranational means “transcending national boundaries, authority or interests,” according to Merriam-Webster.com. The organization provides international leadership on health issues such as the Zika virus. 

• A public health emergency: The designation focuses the attention of politicians and health officials on a serious health issue and could help drive funds toward research and treatment. Specifically, WHO defines a public health emergency of international concern as “an extraordinary event which is determined to constitute a public health risk to other states through the international spread of disease and to potentially require a coordinated international response.”

• What to do? There’s no vaccine. Pregnant women are advised to put off trips to countries experiencing outbreaks of the virus. The CDC has issued travel alerts for countries where the outbreak is outgoing. (See the CDC travel alerts here.) For everyone else, the best thing to do is prevent mosquito bites. The CDC suggests that people traveling to countries where there have been outbreaks should use insect repellents registered with the Environmental Protection Agency, wear long sleeves and sleep under a mosquito net. 

       Related:

       Ebola: History's latest plague upon our houses

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