The World Health Organization (WHO) declared a “public health emergency” on Monday, due to the apparent link of the Zika virus to a surge in serious birth defects in South America. Following a meeting of independent experts in Geneva, WHO director-general Margaret Chan said Zika was an “extraordinary event” that needed a coordinated response. “I am now declaring that the recent cluster of microcephaly and other neurological abnormalities reported in Latin America following a similar cluster in French Polynesia in 2014 constitutes a public health emergency of international concern” The WHO alert puts Zika in the same category of concern as Ebola. The Independent reports: Evidence linking Zika to the thousands of cases of microcephaly in South America and the Pacific Islands was “strong and growing”, Ms Chan said. Tens of thousands of Zika cases have been reported since the outbreak began in Brazil. Though symptoms are relatively minor for most victims, the virus also appears to be associated with the rare Guillain-Barré post-viral syndrome, which can lead to paralysis. It has led to recommendations pregnant women don’t travel to affected regions, and Ms Chan said it was key for a public effort to take measures to avoid infection. Last week a WHO expert said the UN agency [...]