The World Health Organization (WHO) will hold a meeting to discuss new evidence regarding the Zika virus and its potential link to two neurological disorders, the United Nations health agency said Friday.
The Emergency Committee will be convening next week to discuss the data and potentially update the agency's recommendations on travel and trade. The WHO has already launched a worldwide emergency plan that aims to increase surveillance, response and research for Zika after declaring it a public health emergency on Feb. 1.
The Strategic Response Framework and Joint Operations Plan was developed to help affected countries by "mobilizing and coordinating partners, experts and resources to help countries enhance surveillance of the Zika virus and disorders that could be linked to it, improve vector control, effectively communicate risks, guidance and protection measures, provide medical care to those affected and fast-track research and development of vaccines, diagnostics and therapeutics."
"Since the public health emergency of international concern was declared (by WHO) back in February, the evidence that there may be a causal relationship has continued to accumulate," Dr. Bruce Aylward, WHO Executive Director for Outbreaks and Health Emergencies, said in a news briefing.
French scientists reported in a study last week a strong association between the virus and Guillain-Barre syndrome, a condition that can lead to paralysis. They examined cases in Tahiti, the largest island in the French Polynesia, during a Zika outbreak from 2013-2014.
A more recent study found two cases of Guillain-Barre syndrome in patients whose urine tested positive for Zika. The patients had been diagnosed with the syndrome in January 2016 on the French West Indies island of Martinique.
In another study conducted in the U.S., researchers found that there was a higher-than-expected rate of infections and brain abnormalities in the fetuses of nine pregnant American women who had traveled to areas where Zika has been circulating. Prior to this study, health officials in Brazil had raised concerns about a link between Zika and birth defect microcephaly, which occurs when an infant is born with an abnormally small head and an underdeveloped brain.
In Brazil, where the virus has been spreading rapidly, officials have already confirmed more than 640 microcephaly cases. The officials are currently investigating at least another 4,000 suspected cases.
Zika has yet to be confirmed locally in the U.S. However, the White House and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will be hosting a meeting to develop a plan on how to combat the mosquito population that has been transmitting the virus. Federal health experts are expecting the virus to reach the continental U.S. by June or July when the weather gets warmer.
