MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Over sixty states have reported evidence of Zika virus transmission since 2007, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a situation report.
"As of 27 July 2016, 67 countries and territories have reported evidence of mosquito-borne Zika virus transmission since 2007 (64 of these countries and territories have reported evidence of mosquito-borne Zika virus transmission since 2015)," the WHO said on Thursday.
Since February of this year, 11 countries have reported evidence of person-to-person transmission of Zika, "probably via a sexual route," the WHO added.
As of July, 14 countries or territories have reported microcephaly and other central nervous system malformations associated with Zika.
"Based on research to date, there is scientific consensus that Zika virus is a cause of microcephaly and GBS [Guillain-Barré syndrome]," the WHO said.
The latest Zika outbreak started in Brazil in the spring of 2015. The Zika virus is transmitted by daytime-active mosquitoes. It does not cause serious complications in adults but is suspected to cause severe brain defects and microcephaly in newborns.
