WHO to hold emergency meeting February 1 on spread of Zika virus

The World Health Organization's International Health Regulations Committee will hold an emergency meeting devoted to the spread of the Zika virus on February 1 in Geneva, WHO Director General Margaret Chan said Thursday, according to Euronews.

The virus "is now spreading explosively," she added.

She explained that the February 1 Emergency Committee meeting will seek "advice on the appropriate level of international concern and for recommended measures that should be undertaken in affected countries and elsewhere."

The Zika virus affects primarily monkeys and humans and is transmitted by daytime-active mosquitos. It can lead to babies being born with microcephaly, which is a case of an underdeveloped brain.

The Zika outbreak originated in Brazil and spread across Latin America, causing several deaths and cases of micro-encephalitis and inflammation of the brain that cause deformities in newborns. The first case of the mosquito-borne virus crossing into Europe from Latin America was confirmed late Tuesday in Denmark.