WHO: Zika Virus Is No Longer a Global Emergency

The Zika virus is no longer a global public health emergency, according to the World Health Organization.

The WHO says Zika still requires a long-term response, and the virus is here to stay. The organization will need to respond to the virus as a high priority as part of a sustained program, officials say.

“The committee agreed that Zika must now be managed within the World Health Organization, as are other very important infectious diseases and other threats,” said David Heymann, the executive director of communicable diseases for the WHO who led work on the Zika virus. “The Committee felt that what is best now is a very robust technical response to the virus, and that would require work within WHO.”

A total of 4,255 cases of Zika virus were reported in the United States by the Centers for Disease Control of Prevention as of Nov. 16.