After meeting with health officials from across the globe, the World Health Organization declared the current Zika Pandemic a global health emergency concern last February 1, 2016. Since the declaration, several health industry leaders have thrown themselves into studying the disease and coming up with preventative measures in order to halt subsequent outbreaks.
More recently, the World Health Organization or WHO has yeat again assembled the committee in order to discuss specific steps to combat the spread of the Zika virus. The organization has since released an official document detailing the course of action the international health community has agreed upon.
According to the press release, $56 million is needed to fund the strategy suggested by the committee. Currently, the WHO is engaging 23 partner organizations in order to financially support the Zika virus plan.
"WHO is currently working with all partners to consolidate the needs and requirements across the response based on the strategic response framework" read a part of the statement.
The $56 million budget would be allocated to six different response strategy. Of the funding, $7.1 million would be going to Surveillance, $15.4 million to community engagement, $6.4 million to vector control, $14.2 million to caring for affected patients, $6.4 million to research and $6.1 million to coordination.
Margaret Chan, WHO's Director-General has also elaborated on the severity of the Zika Pandemic in the press release. She explains how response to the outbreak is imperative especially considering how Zika has transformed from a relatively benign disease to a legitimate cause for global concern.
"Last year the virus was detected in the Americas, where it is now spreading explosively. Possible links with neurological complications and birth malformations have rapidly changed the risk profile of Zika from a mild threat to one of very serious proportions" quipped Margaret Chan in the recently released WHO report.