WHO declares end of Zika emergency

The World Health Organization on Friday declared that Zika no longer constitutes an international emergency, but it stressed a need for a long-term effort to address the virus, which has been linked to birth defects and neurological complications.

Officials on WHO’s Emergency Committee made clear the Zika still constitutes a global public health threat. They warned the virus, which has been found in 60 countries since the outbreak was identified last year in Brazil, will continue to spread where mosquitoes that carry the virus are present.

Removing the international emergency designation will put Zika in a class with other diseases, such as dengue, that pose serious risks and require continued research, including efforts to develop effective vaccines.

But some public health experts worried that losing the “international emergency” label could slow research into the virus, which continues to cause infections in the United States and elsewhere.

WHO in February declared Zika a public health emergency of international concern – a designation under international law that compels countries to report outbreaks. The moved was part of an effort to determine if Zika was linked to reports in Brazil of the severe birth defect microcephaly and the neurological disorder Guillain-Barre Syndrome. Traditionally, Zika had only been thought to cause mild symptoms.

That goal has been met, said Dr David Heymann, chair of the Zika Emergency Committee and a professor of infectious disease at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, in a conference call with reporters following the committee meeting in Geneva.

Because research has now shown that Zika and microcephaly are linked, “the committee felt that what is best now is a very robust technical response to the virus, and that would require work within WHO,” he said.

The U.N. health agency maintained recommendations including that people exposed to the Zika virus should take preventive measures for six months to avoid sexual transmission.

“It remains crucially important that pregnant women avoid traveling to areas with local transmission of Zika, because of the devastating complications that can occur in fetuses that become infected during pregnancy,” the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said in a statement.

Some experts, expressed concern that losing the “international emergency” designation might result in less support for research into the virus.

“I think WHO’s decision is unwise,” said Lawrence Gostin, a global health law expert from Georgetown University.

“Although Zika’s spread has waned, it still holds the potential for an explosive epidemic. If it were to reemerge in the Americas or jump to another part of the world, it would significantly threaten a new generation of children born with disabilities such as microcephaly.”

Gostin said the international response to Zika has been “lethargic” and WHO’s decision will give countries even less reason to invest in preparedness and research.

At the press conference, Dr. Peter Salama, executive director of WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme, insisted that WHO is “not downgrading the importance of Zika.”

By framing Zika as a longer program of work, Salama said, “we are sending the message that Zika is here to stay and WHO’s response is here to stay in a very robust manner.”

Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious diseases expert at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, said public health emergency declarations help direct the world’s attention to a disease, and the Zika emergency designation accomplished that goal.

But much work remains to be done, including the development of a vaccine, he added. The removal of the emergency declaration “doesn’t change that fact.”

(additional reporting by Julie Steenhuysen in Chicago; editing by Catherine Evans and Cynthia Osterman)

The World Health Organization on Friday declared that Zika no longer constitutes an international emergency, but it stressed a need for a long-term effort . . .

Follow Us On Google News | Get Our Newsletter



Trending News on PVDN

  • real estate puerto vallartaHow safe is it to buy real estate in Puerto Vallarta? Jalisco’s Real Estate sector at risk: AMPI Warns Informality threatens Jalisco's booming real estate market. AMPI urges mandatory professional standards to protect consumers and secure investor trust. The president of AMPI Guadalajara, Karen Julieta Correa Cabrales, has raised alarms over the high level of informality in the region's real estate market. She warns that this lack of regulation is jeopardizing both consumer security and…
  • cancunCancún Ranks as Worst Tourist Destination of 2025 According to Google Reviews A recent survey of nearly 100,000 Google reviews has tagged Cancún as the most disappointing tourist city of 2025. The Daily Mail study examined feedback from the world’s 100 busiest destinations and found that 14.2 percent of Cancún’s reviews were negative—the highest share recorded among all cities analyzed. That mark put Cancún two full percentage…
  • protest puerto vallarta trumpUS Citizens Abroad to Protest Trump’s Immigration Raids in Puerto Vallarta U.S. citizens residing abroad are set to hold a peaceful demonstration in Puerto Vallarta on June 14 to protest recent anti-immigrant raids in Los Angeles and to defend the U.S. Constitution and rule of law. The march, organized by the grassroots group No U.S. Kings Day and supported by Democrats Abroad Costa Banderas, aims to…
  • cjngLos Chapitos and CJNG Form Supercartel to Control Mexican Drug Trade Los Chapitos and the CJNG form an unprecedented alliance, escalating cartel violence and drug trafficking threats across Mexico. A new alliance between Los Chapitos, the faction controlled by the sons of Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, and the powerful Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) has alarmed authorities and analysts, potentially reshaping Mexico’s criminal landscape. The partnership,…
  • 5-de-diciembre-puerto-vallarta-neighborhoodAmerican tourist dies in fall at Hilton Hotel in Puerto Vallarta A 20-year-old tourist from Indiana died after falling from a balcony at the Hilton Hotel in Puerto Vallarta. Authorities are investigating the incident. An American tourist died Sunday afternoon after falling from a balcony at the Hilton Hotel in Puerto Vallarta, a popular resort located in the city’s south hotel zone. Authorities confirmed the victim…
  • Tropical Storm Dalila MexicoTropical Storm Dalila Mexico Will Bring Heavy Rains to Nine States Tropical Storm Dalila Mexico is set to form off Guerrero’s coast by June 14, unleashing heavy to very heavy rains in Michoacán, Guerrero, Oaxaca and triggering alerts across nine states. The National Water Commission (Conagua) has issued a tropical storm watch as the area of low pressure designated “Four-E” gains organization off the southern coast…
  • no kings dayU.S. Citizens in Puerto Vallarta to hold “No Kings Day” Protest Today U.S. citizens in Puerto Vallarta will join a global “No Kings Day” protest today, denouncing Trump’s immigration raids and defending democratic norms. U.S. citizens residing overseas will gather today in Puerto Vallarta to participate in a global “No Kings Day” protest against President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement actions, particularly recent raids in Los Angeles, organizers…
  • don-balde-killed-chiapas-border-operationDon Balde killed in Chiapas border operation Don Balde killed during a June 8 operation by the Pakal Reaction Force in Las Champas, Chiapas, ending his role as founder of the Chiapas-Guatemala cartel and CJNG collaborator. On Sunday, June 8, in the commercial border zone of Las Champas, Frontera Comalapa in Chiapas, elements of the Fuerza de Reacción Inmediata Pakal shot and…
  • cancun-sargassum-arrival-cleanup-effortsCancun sargassum arrival prompts cleanup efforts on beaches Tourism in Cancun faces challenges as the Cancun sargassum arrival brings tons of seaweed ashore, but authorities ramp up cleanup with barriers, machinery and 7,500 meters of booms to keep prime beaches clear. Despite a record influx of sargassum, local officials and private operators in Cancun are intensifying cleanup operations to preserve the city’s beach…
  • crime-sceneItalian Tourist Dies After Falling at Sayulita Rental Property Sayulita, Nayarit – Early on Tuesday, June 10, 2025, an Italian tourist identified as 37-year-old Giacomo “N” died after plunging from an upper floor of a vacation rental in the pueblo mágico of Sayulita, in the municipality of Bahía de Banderas. Emergency services pronounced him dead at the scene, where he was found in the…
Scroll to Top