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singular_me
26th December 2015, 09:54 PM
another monkey virus that suddenly mutated

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‘Don’t get pregnant,’ Brazilians urged as 2,700 born with brain damage linked to virus
25th December 2015

An outbreak of a virus that doctors believe causes microcephaly in newborns has forced Brazilian health officials to appeal to withhold from getting pregnant. Zika virus is believed to already have caused over 2,700 cases of birth defects.

Putting off pregnancy has become a necessity in Brazil, particularly in the northeast, where a dangerous virus transmitted by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes dwelling in tropical climates cause microcephaly, according to doctors. It is an otherwise rare condition which causes dramatically shrunken skulls in newborns.

With over 900 cases reported, Pernambuco state has become the most affected territory. After the number of reported cases nationwide sharply increased from 147 in 2014 to over 2,400 in 2015, six Brazilian states have declared the state of emergency. Related deaths of 29 infants are currently being investigated.

The presence of Zika virus in a newborn was established on November 28 during an autopsy of a baby born with microcephaly, Brazil's Health Ministry reported.

The problem is worsened by the fact that initial ultrasounds of a fetus could be normal and the microcephaly is determined towards the end of the pregnancy.

“This is an unprecedented situation, unprecedented in world scientific research,” the Brazilian Health Ministry said on its website, estimating the latest outbreak between 0.5 and 1.5 million cases in the country altogether.

The pathogen, known as Zika virus, was first discovered in Uganda in the 1940s in forest monkeys. In most cases, the virus causes mild symptoms, like slight fever, rash and headaches, yet it can have serious neurological complications that could lead to death...............


While endemic in certain parts of Africa, the Zika virus has since spread to the South Pacific and Asia, most recently emerging in Latin America. In Brazil it was first detected in 2015. Brazilian medical experts believe the virus could be transferred to the country by guests of the football 2014 World Cup.

https://www.rt.com/news/326977-brazil-microcephaly-virus-pregnancy/?utm_source=browser&utm_medium=aplication_chrome&utm_campaign=chrome

singular_me
27th December 2015, 06:21 AM
seems like it is making its way up north

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"Zika virus is not currently found in the United States. However, cases of Zika have been reported in returning travelers."

Between three and 12 days after being bitten by a mosquito carrying the virus, three out of four people come down with symptoms including mild fever, rash, conjunctivitis, headaches and joint pain.

The zika virus has also been confirmed this year in Panama, Venezuela, El Salvador, Mexico, Suriname, Colombia, Guatemala and Paraguay. Source: Supplied.



https://au.news.yahoo.com/a/30437777/brazil-state-of-emergency-declared-as-over-2-700-babies-born-with-brain-damage-linked-to-mosquito-borne-virus/