LONDON -- The the risk of a Zika outbreak across Europe is "low to moderate," in a new risk assessment.
The UN health agency said Wednesday there is a "high likelihood" the mosquito-borne virus could spread in three European regions with the mosquitoes that carry Zika: Madeira Island in the Atlantic and the Black Sea coastal areas of Georgia and Russia.
WHO declared the spread of Zika to be a global emergency in February and the virus has since been proven to cause severe birth defects, including babies born with abnormally small heads. In adults, it can cause a rare neurological condition that is sometimes fatal or causes temporary paralysis.
There have been more than 400 imported Zika cases in Europe although no local spread has been detected.
