Zika outbreak: World Health Organization declares global emergency

The World Health Organization (WHO) has said there is "an urgent need to co-ordinate all international efforts" to tackle the Zika virus. The health arm of the UN declared that the situation meets the conditions for a "public health emergency of international concern", signalling the seriousness of the outbreak. Experts are concerned at the pace and extent the virus is spreading, and it is linked to thousands of cases of microcephaly, or underdeveloped brains in newborn babies.