The Latest On Zika: Asia's Research Arms Race Has One Major Holdup

Brazilian abortion activists face an uphill battle as they lobby for fewer restrictions in a heavily Catholic country where many of the women most affected by Zika virus hold anti-abortion views.  The virus, which is spread by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, is strongly suspected to be causing a new wave of microcephaly cases in Brazil. Babies born with the birth defect have smaller heads and brains that aren't fully developed, which can result in life-long developmental problems.    And across the world, scientists in China, India and Singapore -- each of which have large populations and histories of mosquito-related infectious disease outbreaks -- are under pressure to develop a Zika virus detection kit, a task that's made even more challenging because none of their labs has access to live Zika samples. With the high volume of news about the Zika virus, it's tough to stay up-to-date. Check out our full coverage, or read our daily recaps. Here's the latest information you should know:  1. China and Finland report first Zika virus cases in travelers  China reported its first case of Zika virus in the city of Ganzhou, according to China's official Xinhua news agency. The 34-year-old patient had recently traveled to Venezuela and had been treated for Zika virus there before returning to China. Chinese health authorities stressed that the risk of Zika spreading in China is currently low, because the country's cold winter temperatures...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news