* Says studies point to link to neurological disorders
* WHO convenes emergency meeting of experts on March 8
* High season for Zika transmission in southern hemisphere
* 9 countries report increase in Guillain-Barre syndrome
(Recasts with quotes, details on meetings, new WHO statement)
By Stephanie Nebehay
GENEVA, March 4 (Reuters) - The World Health Organization,
prompted by "accumulating evidence" of a link between the Zika
virus and two neurological disorders, on Friday called a meeting
of experts to work out what new advice they could give to
travellers and women.
The WHO's Emergency Committee will meet next Tuesday to
review "evolving information" on microcephaly and Guillain-Barre
syndrome and its current recommendations on travel, trade and
ways of controlling the mosquitoes that spread the virus, a
senior WHO official said.
This is thought to be high season for the mosquito-borne
virus to spread in the southern hemisphere, though it should ebb
in Brazil by the time of the Olympics in August, said Dr. Bruce
Aylward, WHO Executive Director for Outbreaks and Health
Emergencies.
Studies in the Lancet on microcephaly and by the U.S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on
Guillain-Barre had strengthened the case that the Zika virus is
responsible.
"Since the public health emergency of international concern
was declared (by WHO) back in February, the evidence that there
may be a causal relationship has continued to accumulate,"
Aylward told a news briefing in Geneva.
"The important thing is the data is moving in one direction.
And that's the reason we've asked the Emergency Committee again
next week to convene and look at these data," he said, referring
to a group of independent experts chaired by Dr. David Heymann.
"So there is accumulating evidence that you really should be
pushing these vector control measures very, very hard," he said,
referring to ways of controlling the mosquito that spreads the
virus. Brazil has deployed the army to help with spraying.
A separate group of WHO experts meet in Geneva from Monday
through Wednesday to discuss speeding up research on products.
These include diagnostics, vaccines and new methods of vector
control, including release of genetically-modified mosquitos.
French scientists, in a retrospective study of a Zika
outbreak in French Polynesia in 2013-2014, said last week they
had proved a link between Zika and Guillain-Barre, suggesting
countries hit by the Zika epidemic will see a rise in cases of
the serious neurological condition.
They showed the risk of developing the disorder at 1 person
in every 5,000 - which was a "very very low risk", Aylward said.
A study of nine pregnant women from the United States who
traveled to countries where the Zika virus was circulating
showed a greater-than-expected number of fetal infections and
brain abnormalities, U.S. health officials said last week.
Much remains unknown about Zika, including whether the virus
actually causes microcephaly in babies, a condition defined by
unusually small heads that can result in developmental problems.
Brazil said it has confirmed more than 640 cases of
microcephaly, and considers most of them to be related to Zika
infections in the mothers. Brazil is investigating more than
4,200 additional suspected cases of microcephaly.
Nine countries, including Brazil and Colombia, have reported
an increase in cases of Guillain-Barre or laboratory
confirmation of a person suffering from the rare neurological
disorder being infected with Zika, a WHO statement said.
Colombia reported 210 cases of Guillain-Barre in the nine
weeks to February 14, but none of them have been
laboratory-confirmed for Zika virus infection, it said. El
Salvador recorded 118 cases of Guillain-Barre from Dec 1-Jan 8,
and none of them had been confirmed either for Zika infection.
"We're now in the high season for dengue virus transmission
in the southern hemisphere, that started a month or so ago. We
believe because it's the same vector, that this would be the
high season obviously for Zika transmission as well," Aylward
said.
TAKE-A-LOOK on Zika outbreak
GRAPHIC: Spread of Zika virus http://reut.rs/1JwW4AT
FACTBOX-Why the Zika virus is causing alarm in the Americas
TIMELINE-Zika's origin and global spread