declared in Is Zika Virus Still Around In The US? A CDC Report Suggests The Threat Is Still Very Real

So is the Zika virus still around in the U.S., or did the cold take care of the problem? Currently, the only Zika travel warning in effect in the U.S. is for the city of Brownsville, Texas. Aedes albopictus has been reported in 127 more counties than previously thought, bringing the total number of counties to 1,368. A close relative, Aedes albopictus, is also thought to be a potential carrier, and that's even more concerning because it can survive in cooler temperatures than its cousin. Aedes aegypti, the species are known to transmit Zika, has now been documented in 38 additional counties in the United States.

A malaria drug can protect fetuses from Zika Virus

'Our study suggests that an autophagy-based therapeutic intervention against Zika may be warranted in pregnant women infected with Zika virus.' Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine have found that a malaria drug blocks Zika from infecting the fetus. Scientists in St Louis reveal a common malaria drug could protect fetuses. A malaria drug could block Zika from infecting unborn babies, new research shows. Now researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have discovered that a malaria drug - which is already FDA-approved - blocks the virus from infecting the fetus.


We found that, compared with mice that were exposed to Zika virus alone, mice that were first injected with dengue or West Nile virus antibodies and then infected with Zika displayed a major increase in mortality and symptoms, and an overall worsening of Zika disease, including more virus in their blood, as well as the spinal cord and testes, organs known to be involved in Zika virus disease in humans. Zika virus is a mosquito-transmitted pathogen closely related to West Nile, yellow fever, and dengue viruses. Many additional cases in the continental United States have been associated with travelers who have returned from places where the Zika virus is active. Zika virus only recently started causing large outbreaks, most famously in Brazil. In 2016, 224 cases of Zika virus disease, presumably transmitted by local mosquitoes, occurred in areas of Florida (Miami-Dade County) and Texas (Brownsville).


collected by : Lucy William
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