Combatting Infectious Diseases: The Zika Virus

Abstract

In the last two years, the Zika virus has commanded worldwide attention due to particular risks to pregnant women. There are scientific studies that confirm that the virus can cause infant neurological disorders such as microcephaly, a severe birth defect in which babies are born with abnormally small heads and underdeveloped brains, and neurological complications like the Guillain-Barré syndrome, a sudden weakening of muscles.1 These cases led the WHO to declare the Zika virus and related complications a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, a global-scale alarm that warns of implications in public health beyond the affected state’s national borders and underscores the need to coordinate international action.