"WHO: Zika Is No Longer An Emergency, It’s Now A Chronic Threat"

"Health experts anxious as Zika becomes just another harmful, mosquito-borne virus."

"On Friday, the World Health Organization announced that the Zika virus is no longer a global health emergency. Now it’s a chronic threat.

The organization formally ended its “Public Health Emergency of International Concern,” which it initiated in February 2016 as the mosquito-borne virus was blazing through South and Central America. Since then, the virus has spread through nearly the entire Western Hemisphere. Researchers collected enough data to confirm that the virus causes devastating birth defects, most notably microcephaly, as well as other neurological disorders. Though Zika is still on the move, the WHO said now is the time to switch from crisis mode to long-term planning.

“We are not downgrading the importance of Zika,” Peter Salama, executive director of the WHO’s emergencies program, told The New York Times. “We are sending the message that Zika is here to stay, and the WHO response is here to stay.”"

Beth Mole reports for Ars Technica November 18, 2016.

SEE ALSO:

"Florida Keys Approves Trial Of Genetically Modified Mosquitoes To Fight Zika" (NPR)