The World Health Organization shot down a theory spreading through the Internet that an insecticide could be behind the uptick of the birth defect microcephaly and not the Zika virus.
The Internet has been ablaze the past couple of days over a report from Argentine scientists that the rise in microcephaly cases may be linked to an insectide called pyroproxyfen. But WHO officials said there is no reason at all to suspect such a link.
“Not only do we not find any signals but we cannot imagine a root of possibility around this,” Bruce Aylward, executive director of Outbreaks and Health Emergencies at WHO, said during a press conference in Geneva Friday.
He said that none of the evidence collected so far would help support any connection between the insecticide and microcephaly, which causes babies to be born with small heads.
“We are not seriously concerned about this,” Aylward said. “We don’t see any reason for concern around this product. They are useful for killing mosquitoes.”
Pyroproxyfen acts to kill the larva of mosquitoes.
Several celebrities also spread the report from the Argentine group.
The WHO said the Zika virus is spreading in about 36 territories around the world, with a majority in central and South America.
Zika cases also have popped up in more than a dozen states in the U.S., but almost all have stemmed from people returning from Zika-affected countries.
Scientists strongly suspect a link between Zika and microcephaly and also are examining a link between Zika and the neurological disorder Guillain-Barre Syndrome, which can cause paralysis.
“The virus would be considered guilty until proven innocent at this point,” Aylward said.
