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Zika Virus, spread in almost 50 countries of the world, is likely to pose a formidable challenge, as far as its eradication is concerned, the head of WHO said, as per Yahoo News

Margaret chan told Agence France-Presse in Brazil that this virus poses a much "bigger menace" than any other epidemic that has affected the world recently and it expected to "get worse before it gets better."

While other diseases such as SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) and Ebola may have been deadlier than Zika but they only affected 26 and 9 countries respectively. However, Zika has already spread to 46 countries. To make matters worse, the mosquito responsible for the outbreak, Aedes aegypti, is present in 130 countries that can increase the possibility of spreading further, Time reports

Zika virus has also been linked with a serious birth defect, microcephaly, that poses another challenge that will be hard to deal with, said Chan. The reason that makes fighting the virus such a challenge is the fact that it is "mysterious." Even the microcephaly link is only speculated and not proven completely. "We are dealing with a tricky virus, full of uncertainties, so we should be prepared for surprises," she said.

Chan, however, praised the Brazilian government in reacting to the situation and their subsequent efforts to fight out the mosquitoes. They have also collaborated with international bodies such as WHO and the International Olympic Movement, in preparation of the summer games to be held in Rio this August.

Brazil is the one that is worst hit by Zika outbreak. So far, 1.5 million people have been infected with a subsequent increase in microcephaly, a genetic condition that causes abnormally small heads that affects development of the brain, as reported by IBN Live