We Need To Take Action Against Zika Virus Now, U.S. Experts Say

By: Mindy Weisberger Published: 01/15/2016 02:34 AM EST on LiveScience The rapid spread of a disease called Zika virus urgently requires attention, two leading researchers say. Zika virus is the most recent in a list of viruses that were formerly confined to remote niches of the world but are now expanding their reach into the Northern Hemisphere. Much about these viruses is still poorly understood, wrote Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), and Dr. David Morens, senior scientific advisor for the NIAID, in an article published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Thursday (Jan. 14). Zika virus is carried by mosquitos and causes generally mild symptoms like fever and rashes. However, it has recently been linked to an alarming rise in newborns with microcephaly -- a condition causing reduced brain development and abnormally small heads -- in Brazil. Ten times as many cases were reported there in 2015 than in previous years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In their new article, Fauci and Morens evaluated the extent of the threat posed by this fast-spreading virus. Health officials have been aware of Zika virus for 60 years, but it is only within the past year that data gathered from infected populations hinted at the more severe consequence of infection, the researchers said. [Tiny & Nasty: Images of Things That Make Us Sick] In French Polynesia, an epidemic of diverse n...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news