The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Tuesday voiced concern over Union Health Ministry’s delay in reporting three cases of Zika virus disease from Gujarat.
Sources in the Ministry said that Dr Henk Bekedam, WHO Representative to India met senior officials from the Ministry and expressed concern about the Government’s silence for over four months in reporting the cases to the global health agency as mandated in the UN’s International Health Regulations 2005. The first case of Zika was reported in November 2016, followed by January and February this year.
Sources said that WHO pointing the Ministry’ silence has come as an embarrassment to India which is one of the 193 signatories of the IHR that require member states to immediately report new emerging infections of international public health concern for better control and response. Zika is one of them.
