“The World Health Organization declared the Zika virus and its suspected link to birth defects an international public health emergency on Monday, a rare move that signals the seriousness of the outbreak and gives countries powerful new tools to fight it.
An outbreak of the Zika virus, which is transmitted by mosquitoes, was detected in Brazil last May and has since moved into more than 20 countries in Latin America. The main worry is over the virus’s possible link to microcephaly, a condition that causes babies to be born with brain damage and unusually small heads. Reported cases of microcephaly are rising sharply in Brazil, ground zero for the disease, though researchers have yet to establish a direct link.”
Source: W.H.O. Declares Zika Virus an International Health Emergency – The New York Times