Disease experts from 43 nations will gather in Paris on Monday to pore over scant but increasingly worrisome data emerging about the Zika virus sweeping Latin America and threatening the world. 
Some 600 Scientists and public health specialists will discuss the virus' links to microcephaly, a disorder that causes severe brain damage in babies, and to adult-onset neurological problems such as Guillain-Barre Syndrome, which can cause paralysis and death. 
They will also review progress in the development of Zika diagnostics and vaccines, according to the Institut Pasteur, which will host the science meeting over Monday and Tuesday. 
Earlier this month, US health authorities confirmed the virus causes microcephaly, a long-suspected link. They said the virus was "scarier" than previously thought. 
"We continue to be learning (about the virus) pretty much every day. And most of what we're learning is not reassuring," said Anne Schuchat, principal deputy director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 
The Zika virus was first identified in 1947 in Uganda, but for most people the symptoms -- a rash, joint pain or fever -- are mild, if they notice them at all.

Source: QNA