GENEVA —
The World Health Organization says it may be necessary to use controversial methods like genetically modified mosquitoes to wipe out the insects that are spreading the Zika virus across the Americas.
The virus has been linked to a spike in babies born with abnormally small heads, or microcephaly, in Brazil and French Polynesia. The U.N. health agency has declared Zika a global emergency, even though there is no definitive proof it is causing the birth defects.
WHO said its advisory group has recommended further field trials of genetically modified mosquitoes, which have been tested in small trials in countries including the Cayman Islands and Malaysia.
“Given the magnitude of the Zika crisis, WHO encourages affected countries … to boost the use of both old and new approaches to mosquito control as the most immediate line of defense,” WHO said in a statement. WHO says at least 34 countries have been hit by the virus in the current crisis, mostly in Latin America.
Meanwhile, the European Union on Tuesday pledged $11.2 million to fund research on the mosquito and the Zika virus in Brazil — the epicenter of the outbreak.
The pledge came as Brazilian Health Minister Marcelo Castro met with representatives of 24 European nations in the Brazilian capital, Brasilia.
Next week, WHO chief Dr. Margaret Chan will travel to Brazil to discuss Zika and microcephaly.
