The World Health Organization asked on Wednesday for $56 million to combat the Zika virus, a disease that has been linked to severe birth defects in Brazil and has spread to 39 other countries. The WHO declared the outbreak a global public health emergency on Feb. 1, noting the association of the virus with two neurological disorders: microcephaly in babies and Guillain-Barré syndrome, which can cause paralysis. The funds sought would be used until June to fast-track vaccines, carry out diagnostics, and research how the mosquito-borne virus spreads, as well as virus control, the WHO said.
Possible links with neurological complications and birth malformations have rapidly changed the risk profile for Zika from a mild threat to one of very serious proportions.
WHO Director-General Margaret Chan
There is no known treatment for Zika, which had been viewed as a relatively mild illness until the concerns over microcephaly and Guillain-Barré emerged. At least 15 companies and academic groups are rushing to develop a vaccine. Hopes of a breakthrough took a small step forward on Wednesday when U.S. biotech firm Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc. said its experimental shot had induced a robust and durable response in mice.
There is currently very little evidence of mother-to-child transmission; however, intrauterine infections seem to be associated with subsequent neurological conditions in the child.
Margaret Chan
