5. Is there a vaccine or cure?
As of 2016, no vaccine, preventative drug or specific treatment is available. But work is underway towards developing a vaccine for the Zika virus. However, scientists say it may take several years before the vaccine could be rolled out. The best form of prevention is protection against mosquito bites.
6. How widespread is the outbreak of the Zika virus in the Americas?
The WHO said Zika cases have been reported in 23 countries and territories in the Americas in the current outbreak.
Brazil has been the nation most affected. Over 4,000 suspected cases of microcephaly have been identified in Brazil. So far, 270 of the cases have been officially confirmed to have links to the Zika virus, and further testing is underway.
Other nations and territories include Barbados, Bolivia, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Saint Martin, Suriname, Venezuela and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
7. Where did the Zika virus originate?
Outbreaks of the Zika virus disease have been recorded in Africa, the Americas, Southern Asia and Western Pacific. According to WHO statistics, the virus was first identified in Uganda in 1947 in rhesus monkeys and was first identified in people in 1952 in Uganda and Tanzania.
Recent outbreaks of the Zika virus were first reported from the Pacific in 2007 and 2013 (Yap and French Polynesia respectively), and from the Americas (Brazil and Colombia) and Africa (Cape Verde) in 2015.
8. What measures has the international community taken to prevent the spread of the Zika disease?
In January 2016, the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a level 2 travel alert for people traveling to regions and certain countries where the Zika virus transmission is ongoing. The CDC also suggested that women thinking about becoming pregnant should consult with their physicians before traveling.
Governments or health agencies of the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, Canada and the EU soon issued similar travel warnings.
In Colombia, Minister of Health and Social Protection Alejandro Gaviria Uribe proposed a prevention of pregnancy for eight months, while Ecuador, El Salvador and Jamaica have made similar proposals.
Brazil also announced plans to prevent the spread of the Zika virus during the 2016 Summer Olympic Games.
9. What's the difference between Zika and Ebola?
Unlike Ebola, Zika does not spread from person to person, has a low mortality, and does not kill healthcare workers. Therefore, it warrants a different response, according to a commentary published Friday by a British think tank Chatham House.
Although some lessons from the Ebola outbreak can be applied, the recent spread of the Zika virus presents a different challenge and needs a different response, said the authors of the commentary.
10. Should we panic?
WHO Assistant Director-General Bruce Aylward warned that though the Zika virus is currently circulating at a very high intensity in the Americas, gaps remain regarding the situation on the ground.
"With respect to China and Asia, at this moment we don't have any official notification of the Zika virus in that area," he said, adding he did not know what would be the required timeframe, or indeed the feasibility, of developing a vaccine.
