It is called Zika Virus Infection. It was discovered in Uganda and has since spread across Asia, across the Pacific Ocean, affecting 75 per cent of the population of an island in Micronesia and now it is ravaging Latin America. The first case in the United States of America was discovered recently. Possible links with microcephaly in Brazil and increased incidence of the serious Guillain-Barré syndrome are being monitored by scientists. The first case of Zika Virus Infection was confirmed on December 31, 2015 in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, unincorporated territory of the United States of America. The patient did not have a history of travel outside his native island three months before the onset of illness, leading scientists to conclude that the virus has spread to Puerto Rico and was contracted there. Worrying manifestations of the disease and other developments are being observed in Brazil, where there have been 3.174 cases of microcephaly, and 38 deaths, across 684 municipalities and 21 federal units. The link between pregnant mothers being infected with Zika Virus and their babies developing microcephaly is being investigated - the WHO is sharing information with member states of PAHO and is advising them to be on the alert for similar cases.

Zika virus (ZIKV) is a neurotropic flavivirus that causes several diseases including birth defects such as microcephaly. Intrinsic immunity is known to be a frontline defense against viruses through host anti-viral restriction factors. Limited knowledge is available on intrinsic immunity against ZIKV in brains. Amyloid precursor protein (APP) is predominantly expressed in brains and implicated in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's diseases. We have found that ZIKV interacts with APP, and viral infection increases APP expression via enhancing protein stability. Moreover, we identified the viral peptide, HGSQHSGMIVNDTGHETDENRAKVEITPNSPRAEATLGGFGSLGL, which is capable of en-hancing APP expression. We observed that aging brain tissues with APP had protective effects on ZIKV infection by reducing the availability of the viruses. Also, knockdown of APP expression or blocking ZIKV-APP interactions enhanced ZIKV replication in human neural progenitor/stem cells. Finally, intracranial infection of ZIKV in APP-null neonatal mice resulted in higher mortality and viral yields. Taken together, these findings suggest that APP is a restriction factor that protects against ZIKV by serving as a decoy receptor, and plays a protective role in ZIKV-mediated brain injuries.

Novel device developed can be clipped onto a smartphone to rapidly test for Zika virus in a single droplet of blood, reveal researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Combination of two deadly mosquito-borne viruses may trigger a stroke, according to a new research study. The study is published in the iThe Lancet Neurology.

The Centre has developed an action plan to manage medlinkZika Virus/medlink (!--ref1--) disease, with the total number of cases reaching 537 as of July 22.

As a precautionary measure, health authorities visited the area where the person lives and carried out surveillance and tracking exercises; however no person in the area showed any symptoms of Zika infection, a statement from the government said

New research provides the first direct evidence that Zika virus causes severe birth defects, and explains exactly how it does so

“I lifted up my T-shirt to check on what I thought had just been a small heat rash,” writes BuzzFeed correspondent Ali Watkins. “It had shown up along the right of my back, extending out from a handful of mosquito bites I had picked up… it had seemed relatively tame [but] now, it was inching across the front of my stomach and down my legs... Meanwhile, my right eye was inflamed and bright red, almost akin to a busted blood vessel.”

Watkins is describing the symptoms of a Zika virus infection that she contracted on a recent trip to Mexico. For many people, infection with this mosquito-borne virus causes an illness with symptoms just like those experienced by Watkins: fever, skin rash, joint pain and conjunctivitis. For others, these symptoms are so mild that they go completely unnoticed.

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The virus, linked to cases of the microcephaly birth defect, has spread in Latin America and the Caribbean, leading athletes to consider whether to attend the Games.

Parts of Africa and the Asia-Pacific region may be vulnerable to outbreaks of the Zika virus, including some of the world's most populous countries and many with limited resources to identify and respond to the mosquito-borne disease, a new study says.

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For the first time, abnormal brain development following a Zika infection during pregnancy has been documented experimentally in the offspring of a non-human primate.

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A once-'mild' virus found in Africa 70 years ago is now running wild. Here's everything you need to know.

“Juliet”, a woman living in London, was diagnosed with a mysterious illness in November 2015, Ian Cropley, a consultant in infectious disease from The Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, was there to investigate. In this podcast, we find out how Zika, once a little known virus causing a rash and fever, has subsequently become a global health...

In February World Health Organization (WHO) declared the microcephaly epidemic in South America an international public health emergency. Today, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the CDC, has confirmed that it’s is Zika virus which is causing that microcephaly.  The outbreak was originally spotted in Recife, in Brazil, and it’s...

Interviews from the Women deliver conference in Copenhagen. Donna McCarraher, director of reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health at FHI 360, explains why women should be at the centre of efforts to mitigate the effect of Zika Virus in Brazil.

Thousands of babies were born with severe brain damage after the 2015 Zika outbreak. New findings could tell us which therapies could help them most

Find out what steps the CDC is taking to prevent a massive Zika virus outbreak in the United States.

Using the newest scientific tools, the time needed to find out how best to fight an evolving pandemic has been greatly shortened

Thousands of babies were born with severe brain damage after the 2015 Zika outbreak. New findings could tell us which therapies could help them most

Asian tiger mosquito has been neglected as a source of Zika and dengue virus, as the threat was measured right after one feeding on infected blood. However,

Highlights: Zika virus can specifically kill brain cancer cells, without harming normal cells It

Drug used to treat HIV also suppresses Zika virus infection, according to a new study done by the Temple researchers, published in the journal iMolecular Therapy/i.

Melbourne based pharmaceutical company has produced condoms that can fight the spread of the Zika virus. The condom is available in Australia and marketed as Ansell dual protect with VivaGel.

Harvard scientists have developed a cheap test that changes color to indicate when the Zika virus is present, and hope it could help contain the virus, currently spreading through South America.

Sara Mujica, 17, went to visit her fiancé Victor Cruz, 19, in Honduras earlier this year and returned home to Danbury, Connecticut on March 30, with a fever and rashes all over her body.

A team at the University of California, San Diego found that an immune response to the virus could potentially be targeted to reduce the effects of the virus and birth defects (illustrated).

University of Ottawa professor Amir Attaran has accused the World Health Organisation (WHO) of putting unborn children at risk by letting August's Olympics go ahead as planned.

University of Ottawa's Amir Attaran recently wrote an article in the Harvard Public Health Review, saying the Olympics should be moved from Rio to prevent a 'full-blown global health disaster'.

Samantha Armytage revealed she has serious doubts about covering the Rio Olympics over fears of contracting or being exposed to the Zika virus, with plans to have children over the coming years

Taking to Instagram on Sunday morning, the 39-year-old Sunrise host decided to clarify herself after The Daily Telegraph reported she wants to have children 'in the next few years'.

Researchers at Washington University successfully developed two mouse models to study how Zika virus infects unborn babies, by weakening their immune systems before infection.

Those considering holidays to southern states in the US should look at alternatives, said Professor Jimmy Whitworth of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

A North Queensland resident has tested positive for Zika virus after a trip to Thailand and Bali, with a team sent to a town south of Cairns to spray for mosquitoes in case the disease spreads.

Former Mets player Francisco Rodriguez (pictured) said he'd been bedridden with the disease for two weeks on a trip back home to his native Venezuela - where the virus is rampant.

The first baby with Zika-linked microcephaly was born in New Jersey to a 31-year-old woman who was visiting from Honduras. The mother contracted the virus while in Honduras.

As temperatures rise it becomes more likely, Zika-carrying Aedes mosquitoes will reach US shores. Dr Anjali Mahto reveals how wearing light clothes, losing weight and insect repellent can lessen the risk of being bitten.

The Honduran mother who delivered what is believed to be the first baby to be born with a Zika virus-related condition in the New York tri-state area has broken her silence.

More than 200 academics have now signed an open letter to the World Health Organisation calling for the Olympics to be postponed. But is it really necessary? Virus expert Dr Derek Gatherer gives his views.

Doctors from the French Institute of Health and Medical Research who treated the 24-year-old woman have now warned the virus (pictured) may well be transmitted orally through semen.

The British long-jumper has frozen samples of his sperm amid fears about the Zika virus at this summer's Olympic Games in Rio. The virus can cause birth defects and be transmitted through sex.

LG is fighting malaria and dengue in India with the power of sound waves. The South Korean firm has launched a line of TVs and an air conditioner that produce sound waves to paralyze mosquitoes.

Travel advice issued from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Australia have added Bali to a long list of places being affected by the Zika virus - which has been linked to birth defects.

The Zika virus has arrived to Indonesia now Australian's are being urged to reconsider holiday plans to Bali. The virus is linked to immune system disorders and deformaties in babies.

The Northern Ireland sportsman was due to compete in the sporting event in August. But he said today that it was a risk he was 'unwilling to take'.

Scientists at Imperial College London found previously exposed to the dengue virus boosts the potency of Zika, explaining why cases in Brazil, where the former is rife, have soared.

Ali Fedotowsky and fiance Kevin Manno were all set to say 'I do' in Mexico but sadly had to scrap those plans.

With the Zika virus casting a cloud hanging over the Olympics Games, several athletes have opted out with many more taking precautions. MARTHA KELNER answers the key questions...

The bacteria, called Wolbachia pipienti, is found in 60 per cent of insects globally and can be introduced to mosquitoes in the lab, the Madison School of Veterinary Medicine found.