Zika no longer constitutes an international emergency, the World Health Organisation has said, although it has stressed a need for a long-term effort to address the virus.
The virus was first declared as a public health emergency of international concern in February - a move that compels countries to report outbreaks, under international law.
WHO officials made it clear that Zika still represented a global health threat, as they warned that the virus, which has now been identified in 60 countries since it was first recognised in Brazil last year, would continue to spread wherever mosquitos carry the virus.
The removal of Zika from its international emergency designation places Zika in the same category as other diseases such as dengue, meaning it still poses serious risks and continued research is required, Reuters said.
Some public health experts have expressed concern however that the loss of the “international emergency” label could slow research into the virus.