WHO sees scientific consensus on Zika as cause for disorders
Source: Reuters
Researchers around the world are now convinced the Zika virus can cause the birth defect microcephaly as well as Guillain-Barre syndrome, a rare neurological disorder that can result in paralysis, the World Health Organization said on Thursday.
The statement represented the U.N. health agency's strongest language to date on the connection between the mosquito-borne virus and the two maladies.
The WHO also reported the first sign of a possible rise in microcephaly cases outside Brazil, the hardest-hit country so far in an outbreak spreading rapidly in Latin America and the Caribbean. Neighboring Colombia is investigating 32 cases of babies born with microcephaly since January, and eight of them so far have tested positive for the Zika virus, the WHO said.
This number of microcephaly cases reported in Colombia so far represents an increase over the historical annual average of about 140 cases.
Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-zika-who-idUSKCN0WX2DJ
