GENEVA, Feb. 03 (MNA) � The Zika virus and its likely link to microcephaly or neurological complications in newborn babies might spread to Asia and Africa, warned the World Health Organization.

 


The illness could go to other parts of the world where the population is not immune, lamented the head of Department of Mother and Child Health Care of WHO, Anthony Costello, during a meeting with journalists.

Costello admitted that the mosquito Aedes that transmits the Zika virus is present in Africa, parts of southern Asia and in Southeastern Europe.

In this regard, he announced that WHO will establish points of vigilance in several parts of the world, specially in the poorest countries with high birthrates.

During the press conference, Costello urged medium- and low-income countries to stay on high alert to detect and report any change in the pattern of microcephaly in an early stage.

He said Who is organizing a special team of response to the outbreak by using the lessons drawn from the Ebola crisis.

For this purpose, we will count on 30 points of vigilance worldwide, mainly in countries lacking strong health care systems, he explained.

WHO warned last week through a communiqu� about the presence of the mosquito Aedes Aegypti, which transmits the Zika virus and also dengue and chikungunya, in all the countries of the Americas, but Chile and Canada.

The Zika virus, believed to cause fetal malformations, appeared in May in Brazil, where some 4,000 cases of microcephaly in newborn babies have been reported.

Who estimates the Zika virus can infect up to four million people in the region.

By� Mehr News Agency