Birth Defects

Pandemic Risk: Zika Mosquitos in 129 California Cities

The mosquitos that can carry the Zika virus have reportedly appeared in 129 California cities. With cold winter weather the only major obstacle to the Zika virus becoming America’s first pandemic since the 1957 Asian Flu, ground zero for a potential pandemic is now the West Coast.

A female Aedes aegypti mosquito is seen on the forearm of a health technician in a laborat

Zika Study: ‘Prepare for Global Epidemic of Microcephaly’

A new study published in the British medical journal Lancet reveals a “striking magnitude of association between microcephaly and Zika virus infection” and warns readers to “prepare for a global epidemic of microcephaly and other manifestations of congenital Zika syndrome.”

The Associated Press

Brazilian Researchers: Zika Has Mutated into Something More Dangerous

A new study has allowed scientists to watch the Zika virus destroy nascent brain cells in mice fetuses, proving definitively the link between the virus and birth defects in humans as well as cementing suspicions that the strain of Zika spreading in Latin America is a more dangerous mutation than those seen previously.

aedes aegypti mosquitoes spreads zika virus

Brazil Nears 100,000 Zika Cases Less Than 100 Days from Olympics

Brazil confirms this week it has documented a staggering 91,387 cases of Zika in 2016, with more than 7,000 cases being pregnant women. The World Health Organization (WHO) warns the number of Zika cases globally is set to increase, though cooling temperatures may finally lower the rates of infection in Brazil itself.

aedes aegypti mosquitoes spreads zika virus