Zika

Promising Zika vaccine moves to next stage

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, said Friday that the DNA vaccine candidate developed by scientists at NIAID's Vaccine Research Center has been a success in animal trials and in the first human trial of the vaccine.

It has been such a success that the agency has moved into the next stage of testing, on track with its projected timeline.

Zika shrinks mice testicles, damaging fertility

Not only did male mice infected with the Zika virus have a tougher time getting females pregnant, their levels of sex hormones crashed, and their testicles shrunk by 90%, possibly permanently, according to new researchby the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

Of course, these are mice, not men.

Thailand confirms two cases of Zika-linked microcephaly

It is the first time in South East Asia that the disease has been linked to the condition, which causes abnormally small brains and heads.

Several countries in the region have reported Zika cases. The virus is transmitted by the Aedes mosquito which also spreads dengue and chikungunya.

The current outbreak of the disease was first detected in Brazil last year.

Cases have recently been reported across South East Asia.

Zika found to remain in sperm for record six months

Doctors at the Spallanzani Institute for Infectious Diseases in Rome said it pointed to the possibility that the virus was reproducing itself in the male genital tract.

The infection is suspected of leading to thousands of babies being born with underdeveloped brains.

Zika is spread by mosquitos.

The outbreak was declared a global public health emergency by the World Health Organisation in February.

Zika linked to baby joint deformities

 

Brazilian researchers from Recife, the city at the centre of the Zika epidemic, describe seven suspect cases in the journal The BMJ.

The virus, which has been spreading across much of the Americas and has deterred some people from visiting the Olympic host country, is already known to cause a serious baby brain defect.

Mothers-to-be are urged to be vigilant.

Zika: Mums-to-be get Miami warning

The victims were probably infected by local mosquitoes in the Wynwood area.

Pregnant women who had been in the zone since 15 June were urged to get tested, while those planning a baby should wait eight weeks after leaving the area.

The illness, which is most commonly transmitted by mosquitoes, is linked to defects including small-head syndrome, or microcephaly, in newborns.

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Has Zika begun to spread in the U.S.?

Two of the four cases are in Miami-Dade County while the other two are in Broward County. None of the four individuals has traveled to Zika-affected areas. Sexual transmission has not been ruled out.

"We are looking into other modes of transmission. We're conducting this investigation as we would other mosquito-borne viruses, such as dengue (fever)," Mara Gambineri, communications director for the Florida Department of Health, wrote in an email to CNN.

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Rio 2016: WHO says low risk of Zika virus spread at Olympics

The statement came as worry mounted that the mosquito-borne virus, which has spread across much of Latin America and which can lead to severe birth defects in babies, might spread further when the Olympics begin in August.

"The Committee concluded that there is a very low risk of further international spread of Zika virus as a result of the Olympic and Paralympic Games as Brazil will be hosting the Games during the Brazilian winter," the WHO said.

The global health agency explained that the intensity of the transmission of viruses like dengue and Zika "will be minimal".

World Health Organization rejects calls to move Rio 2016 over Zika outbreak

In an open letter to the WHO, 150 leading international scientists, doctors and medical ethicists said new findings about the mosquito-borne disease made it "unethical" for Rio 2016 to go ahead as planned.

Representatives of institutions such as Oxford University and Harvard and Yale universities in the United States cite the failure of a mosquito-eradication programme in Brazil, and the country's "weakened" health system as reasons to move or postpone the Games in "the name of public health".

Vanuatu prepared for Zika

The action plan strengthens vector control and also increases personal protective measures including the assurance that pregnant women and women of child bearing age receive appropriate and timely information to reduce their risk of exposure.

Aiding in the dispersion of such vital information is Jacques Rory, the officer in charge of Public Health services under the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Vanuatu.