Zika 'spreading explosively', emergency meeting Feb 1: WHO chief

The Zika virus, blamed for a surge in birth defects, is "spreading explosively", the World Health Organization chief Margaret Chan said Thursday, calling for an emergency meeting on the outbreak on February 1.

Zika "is now spreading explosively," Chan told a meeting of WHO member states in Geneva.

"The level of alarm is extremely high," she added, calling for a February 1 meeting to determine if the outbreak qualifies as an international public health emergency.