Tag Archives: Zika

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | AFP | When doctors told her that the six-month-old fetus she was carrying had severe brain damage caused by the Zika virus, Thamires Ferreira da Silva tried to commit suicide by jumping in front of a bus in Rio de Janeiro. “I just wanted to …

Miami, United States | AFP | Zika has been around for decades but only recently began to cause birth defects due to a single mutation the mosquito-borne virus likely acquired in 2013, researchers said Thursday. The report in the US journal Science explains for the first time how this once relatively …

Geneva, Switzerland | AFP |  The World Health Organization on Friday announced in an online press conference that the Zika virus outbreak no longer poses a world public health emergency. “The Zika virus remains a highly significant and long term problem, but it is not any more a public heath …

Paris, France | AFP | An antibody produced by the human body shielded unborn mice against Zika, a study said Monday, raising hopes for thwarting the virus known to cause brain damage in human foetuses. The antibody neutralised all known Zika strains in lab experiments, and “markedly reduced” virus levels …

Paris, France | AFP | Scientists said Monday they had found a suitable animal model for testing new Zika drugs — a monkey whose offspring suffers brain damage similar to human foetuses exposed to the virus. One monkey, a pregnant pigtail macaque, was infected with Zika on day 119 of …

Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | The World Health Organization on Tuesday toughened its advice on preventing the spread of Zika, saying anyone returning from areas hit by the virus should practise safe sex for six months afterwards. The updated guidelines mean the UN health body’s recommendations regarding sexual transmission are …

Paris, France | AFP | Only pregnant women and people planning a family need fear Zika, disease experts said Wednesday after golfer Rory McIlroy became the latest athlete to withdraw from the Olympics over virus fears. The mosquito-borne virus, which can also be transmitted via sex, is thought to cause …

Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | There is a “very low risk” of the Zika virus spreading further internationally as a result of the Olympic Games in Brazil, the World Health Organization’s emergency committee on the disease said Tuesday. The statement came as worry mounted that the mosquito-borne virus, which has …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | Olympic long jump champion Greg Rutherford has made the decision to freeze his sperm because of fears about the Zika virus at this year’s Games in Rio de Janeiro. Rutherford’s girlfriend, Susie Verrill, said the couple were increasingly worried about mosquito-born Zika, which can …

Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | The Zika virus strain linked to surging cases of neurological disorders and birth defects in Latin America has for the first time been found in Africa, the World Health Organization said Friday. The UN health agency announced that the Zika virus strain circulating in Cape …