Ten years ago, pictures from Brazil scared the whole world when they showed thousands of babies with heads that were too small for their bodies. This disease was later linked to the Zika virus. The World Health Organization (WHO) announced a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on February 1, 2016, and promised that the whole world would act right away. That promise has still not been kept ten years later: there is still no approved vaccine or targeted treatment for Zika. 

The issue is back on the global health table because this year, WHO experts are meeting to talk about the virus's current state. Their result makes me feel uneasy. Zika didn't go away when it stopped being in the news. Instead, it keeps spreading slowly, continuing to be a danger to pregnant women and their unborn children. 

WHO says that Zika is showing "persistent low-level transmission" in a number of places. To put it simply, the virus is still growing, but not in big ways that get people's attention. Traces of the virus have been found using new tracking methods, such as testing sewage water in Singapore. The monitoring of wastewater works because infected people leave behind viruses in their waste, which lets scientists find circulation before hospitals report cases. 

The acting head of the WHO's Department of Epidemic and Pandemic Management, Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, said, "Zika remains an important arboviral threat." "When pregnant women are exposed to low-level transmission, it can still have bad effects." 

"Cohort of 2016" victims are the ones who stand out the most. These are kids from Brazil and Colombia who got Zika before they were born and now have congenital Zika syndrome. Many of them are now 10 years old and will always have problems moving, learning, hearing, and seeing. 

Dr. Marcela Mercado, who works with children in Colombia who have been affected by Zika, said, "The effects of congenital Zika do not end in infancy." These kids need long-term help with their health, their social lives, and their schoolwork. 

A lot of people have this question, especially now that COVID-19 vaccines have been made in less than a year. Researchers say that work on Zika slowed down after the emergency phase was over. Less money was given, cases were less visible, and the political focus moved to other issues. 

Dr. Eve Lackritz from the University of Minnesota said that there are several possible vaccines, but none of them have gone through all the steps needed to show that they are safe and successful. "Promising research has a hard time getting to the finish line without steady funding," she said. 

Because of climate change, Aedes bugs, which carry Zika, are moving into more areas. Because of warmer weather and changed rain patterns, these mosquitoes can now live in new places, like parts of Asia. This means that countries like India can't think they are immune just because there haven't been any big cases in a while. 

WHO's Dr. Diana Rojas Alvarez said, "The conditions that made it easy for Zika to spread quickly in 2015 and 2016 are still there today." 

Right now, WHO is focusing on getting ready instead of responding to emergencies. The meeting is still going on, and Dr Livia Vinhal Frutuoso from Brazil's Ministry of Health is giving reports on global epidemiology, progress in diagnostics, and lessons learnt from the country's surveillance system. 

Also being looked into are new tools. Testing of wastewater in Singapore has helped track the spread of Zika. Dr Shuzhen Sim from the National Environmental Agency said, "Sewage doesn't lie." "It tells us what kinds of infections are running around in the neighbourhood." 

Five questions keep coming up: Is Zika still around? Can it hurt kids now? Why isn't there a spray yet? Does climate change really make mosquito-borne diseases worse? Also, can sewage really find viruses? The answers all point to the same thing: Zika is still not taken seriously as a threat. 

Even after ten years, pregnant women still have no protections, just like they did in 2016. The bug may be quiet, but the damage it does will last forever. WHO officials stress that Zika will not go away just because you forget about it.