Pope Francis on Thursday suggested that contraception is a viable option for women exposed to the Zika virus. However, he reiterated his stand that abortion was a crime, even as scores of pregnant women in South America have been trying to undergo the procedure to avoid giving birth to babies with microcephaly.

The Pope alluded to this while speaking to reporters on board the papal plane on his way to Rome from Mexico. He said,“avoiding pregnancy is an absolute evil”, but that in certain circumstances contraception might be “the leaser evil”. He maintained that abortion should not be in option even for women carrying babies with brain defects from the virus, saying this amounted to “Killing one person to save another”, The Guardian reported.

With large parts of South Americ grappling with an outbreak of the virus that WHO has declared an international emergency, the World Bank on Thursday said it will immediately provide $150 million (Rs 1,028 crore) to the Latin American and Caribbean countries. The bank said it would increase the amount if need be, and that countries in the region stand to lose $420 million (Rs 2,880 crore) in fiscal revenues from the outbreak.

Researchers on Wednesday announced another piece of evidence linking the Zika virus to birth defects, after finding the virus in the amniotic fluid of two pregnant women whose foetuses were diagnosed with microcephaly. The study published in the Lancet Infectious Diseases journal said their finding suggests the virus can cross the placental border. However, they said more research is needed to understand the link with microcephaly.