More than 2,500 babies could be diagnosed with microcephaly in Brazil if current trends within the Zika-affected country continue, the World Health Organization (WHO) told reporters today at a news conference in Geneva.
To fight Zika, a vaccine against the virus and measures to control mosquitoes will be crucial, WHO officials said. This is because more than half of the world's population lives in areas inhabited by Aedes aegypti, which is one of the mosquitoes that carry the virus.
"In less than a year, the status of Zika has changed from a mild medical curiosity to a disease with severe public health implications," Dr. Margaret Chan, WHO director-general, told journalists.
