(MENAFN- Saudi Press Agency)
UNITED NATIONS Jumada II 14 1437 March 23 2016 SPA -- WHO chief Margaret Chan said Tuesday that the U.N. health agency still is waiting for its members to provide another $4 million to deal with the growing threat from the Zika virus.
'The more we know the worse things look' Chan told reporters at WHO headquarters in Geneva. 'In less than a year the status of Zika has changed from a mild medical curiosity to a disease with severe public health implications.'
Zika has been linked to thousands of suspected cases of microcephaly a rare birth defect in Brazil and a neurological disorder called Guillain-Barre Syndrome.
The WHO and its American arm PAHO have asked for $25 million to fight Zika and have received $3 million and now are in an 'active discussion' over the next $4 million said Chan who called the funding shortfall 'pretty serious.'
--SPA
11:58 LOCAL TIME 08:58 GMT
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.