A mosquito-borne virus is prompting worldwide concern because of an alarming connection to a neurological birth disorder and its rapid spread across the globe.
World Health Organization Director-General Margaret Chan called it an “extraordinary event” while declaring a public health emergency.
The Zika virus, transmitted by the aggressive Aedes aegypti mosquito, has spread to at least 34 countries and territories. WHO estimates 3 million to 4 million people across the Americas will be infected with the virus in the next year. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning pregnant women against travel to those areas; health officials in several of those countries are telling women to avoid pregnancy — in some cases for up to two years.
By Sandee LaMotte, CNN
