Zika virus may spread to Europe in coming months, WHO warns

The World Health Organization says the risk of a Zika outbreak across Europe is "low to moderate," in a new risk assessment.

The U.N. health agency said Wednesday there is a "high likelihood" the mosquito-borne virus could spread in three European regions with the mosquitoes that carry Zika: Madeira Island in the Atlantic and the Black Sea coastal areas of Georgia and Russia.

WHO declared the spread of Zika to be a global emergency in February and the virus has since been proven to cause severe birth defects, including babies born with abnormally small heads.

In adults, it can cause a rare neurological condition that is sometimes fatal or causes temporary paralysis.

Countries with high and moderate risk of Zika should improve vector-control measures to prevent the spread of mosquitoes and reduce their density, WHO Europe said. They also should equip health workers to detect cases early, report them swiftly, and help people at risk — notably pregnant women — protect themselves from infection, it said.

The WHO's European risk analysis took in multiple factors, among them the presence of Zika-transmitting mosquitoes, suitable climates for the mosquito, previous history of transmission of dengue or chikungunya, ship and flight connections, and population density and urbanization.

It also considered the capacity of the country to contain transmission at an early stage, based on four main factors:

• Mosquito control.
• Clinical surveillance.
• Laboratory capacity.
• Emergency risk communications.

There have been more than 400 imported Zika cases in Europe although no local spread has been detected.