The World Health Organization says, despite pledging to improve its emergency response systems after the Ebola crisis, it was not prepared to deal properly with the Zika virus.
The admission has come at a meeting in Switzerland, where scientists and public-health experts have been assessing the international response to Zika.
The assistant director general of health systems and innovations at the World Health Organisation says the WHO was not ready for the Zika virus.
Dr Marie-Paule Kieny's admission have come in an address to international scientists and public-health experts gathered in Geneva.
"After we struggled with Ebola and we said, 'Never again, we should be ready, there should be research and development preparedness, we must work on having tools, vaccines, diagnostics that are quite advanced on the pathway to registration' ... And here we are again, and we are not prepared."
The meeting is assessing the progress of vaccine development, diagnosis methods and other preparedness measures.
Much is unknown about Zika, including whether it actually leads to microcephaly in babies, a condition defined by unusually small heads that can lead to developmental problems.
There is no proven vaccine or treatment for the mosquito-borne virus.
Dr Kieny says the hope is the meeting can lead to new progress in the fight against Zika.
"We hope that the result from this meeting will be an identification of which are the most promising products, drugs, vaccines, treatments, vector-control methods or medical counter-measures and will help all of us to make sure that we invest in the right strategies."
Brazil has recorded over 600 cases of microcephaly.
It is investigating more than 4,000 additional suspected cases.
In the state of Paraiba, doctors from the United States' Centres for Disease Control and local officials have been going house to house.
They are trying to enroll mothers in a study aimed at determining whether Zika is behind a surge in birth defects.
The centre's Dr Alexia Harrist has told Al Jazeera television the information is vital.
"This is obviously something very important to know. We want to get the information out as soon as possible in order to be able to understand this and to create public health activities."
The governor of Paraiba, Ricardo Coutinho, has told the broadcaster the state needs extra cash to fund its response to Zika.
(Translated) "We haven't received any extra money for combating the mosquito or even for treating the children with microcepaly. The research we are working on, all of that, it's the local government that has been paying for it. I cannot wait for them to make funding available. I need to make things happen here."
The WHO's International Health Regulation emergency committee is meeting to review evolving information and its recommendations on travel, trade and mosquito control.
It is believed to be high season for transmission of the virus in the southern hemisphere.
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