WHO: Zika: We must be ready for the long haul
Margaret Chan, director general of the WHO, reflects on the Zika outbreak, which the WHO declared a public health emergency of international concern from February to November 2016. Chan writes, “In large parts of the world, the virus is now firmly entrenched. WHO and affected countries need to manage Zika not on an emergency footing, but in the same sustained way we respond to other established epidemic-prone pathogens, like dengue and chikungunya, that ebb and flow in recurring waves of infection. … We are now in the long haul and we are all in this together. WHO’s strategic planning and commitment to work with partners for sustained interventions and research should go a long way towards bracing the world for this challenging — and still heart-breaking — effort” (2/1).