Zika Virus still a concern: Here is what you need to know to be prepared stat : WHNT.com

CondomsDuring sex, it is possible to get Zika virus from a person who has Zika. "The recent study I saw, more than 50 children in the U.S. did have birth defects because of Zika virus," said Clay. If someone is bitten by a mosquito with Zika virus and comes back home, they may spread it here without knowing. Please enable Javascript to watch this videoMADISON COUNTY, Ala. - This time last year, the Zika virus was a major concern in the United States. "We have not had local transmission here in Alabama but we still have people traveling to other areas that have active Zika virus transmission going on," said Clay.




"Microcephaly is likely just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the potential adverse effects of maternal Zika infection," Terskikh said. Researchers from the Sanford-Burnham Preby's Medical Discovery Institute (SBP) in San Diego have pinpointed the molecule that inhibits the Zika virus, a step towards finding a drug to combat the virus, which has become a global epidemic. "In addition to a Zika vaccine, we still need antivirals," Terskikh said. "We identified a small molecule that inhibits the Zika virus protease and show that it blocks viral propagation in human cells and in mice," Alexey Terskikh, Ph.D., associate professor at SBP, said in a statement. "Having a way to treat the infection could help stop Zika from spreading and prevent its sometimes devastating effects."

Zika Virus Carrying Mosquito Can Also Transmit Chikungunya And Dengue In One Bite

They discovered that a mosquito carrying the Zika virus could also be infected with both chikungunya and dengue, which it could spread to any individual with one bite. The Zika virus is particularly dangerous for pregnant women and can cause neurological disorders in the unborn child. A new research indicates that a bite from the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which spreads Zika, could simultaneously infect people with other diseases such as dengue and chikungunya. Ruckert and her team will continue to study how the virus functions in a coinfected mosquito vis-à-vis one infected with a single virus. Scientists at the Colorado State University conducted the research regarding the viruses the Aedes aegypti mosquito carries.


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