Zika

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Illness That Caused 'Global Panic' Never Really Went Away

There's still no vaccine for mosquito-born Zika that struck in 2015; experts worry of future outbreak

(Newser) - In 2016, the United Nations declared that the Zika virus—a mosquito-borne illness that can cause serious neurological effects in newborns with infected moms— was no longer a worldwide emergency . But the virus didn't actually disappear: In fact, Medriva deems it a "silent threat still lurking." The...

Pet Meds, Laser Fences Could Tackle Insect-Borne Diseases

Scientists say isoxazolines could prevent up to 97% of Zika cases

(Newser) - Scientists are testing new ways to prevent the spread of insect-borne diseases like Zika and malaria, one of which involves sharing medication with your dog. New research funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation suggests drugs included in anti-flea and tick medications for pets could prevent 97% of Zika...

Mosquito-Transmitted Zika Case Reported in Texas

It's likely the 1st such case in the US this year

(Newser) - Officials announced Wednesday what they believe is the first case of locally contracted, mosquito-transmitted Zika in the continental US this year, the New York Times reports. The case was reported in Hidalgo County, Texas, and the state health department says it probably was contracted "sometime in the last few...

Mosquitoes Do Not Care About Your Citronella Candles

Very few repellants actually repel the biting insect

(Newser) - It isn't just nice when mosquito repellents actually do what they claim to—it's necessary. The biting insects are one of nature's top disease vectors, spreading everything from yellow fever and dengue to Zika and malaria, and a group of scientists recently set out to test which...

Pregnant Women Told They Didn't Have Zika Get Bad News

DC lab messed up test affecting hundreds, with 2 women now told they tested positive

(Newser) - Almost 300 DC-area women who were pregnant last year likely breathed a sigh of relief when their tests for the Zika virus came back clean. Those sighs turned to gasps on Thursday when city officials announced the district's health lab had botched hundreds of tests and that two local...

A 'Likely' First in Texas: Zika Spread by Local Mosquito

Lone Star State would join Florida in having local transmission cases

(Newser) - Texas health officials knew it was "only a matter of time," and that time has arrived, they now say: The state has logged its first case of Zika likely spread by a local mosquito, the Guardian reports. This news puts Texas alongside Florida as the only other state...

13 Babies Had Heads of Normal Size. Then 11 Didn't
13 Babies Had Heads of
Normal Size. Then 11 Didn't
new study
Nov 24, 2016 8:56 AM CST

13 Babies Had Heads of Normal Size. Then 11 Didn't

Researchers find Zika can cause microcephaly well after birth

(Newser) - Even babies whose heads appear to be of normal size at birth can go on to develop microcephaly, according to new research out of Brazil. Writing in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report , scientists say that of the 13 babies they tracked who were born without any outward...

UN: Zika Isn't a Global Emergency Anymore

But UN is still preparing for a long fight against the virus

(Newser) - Acknowledging Zika is "here to stay," the UN health agency on Friday lifted a 9-month-old emergency declaration and prepared for a longer-term response to the mosquito-borne virus that can result in severe neurological defects in newborns whose mothers were infected, the AP reports. WHO officials were quick to...

Zika Virus Ravages Testicles of Male Mice
Zika Virus Ravages
Testicles of Male Mice
NEW STUDY
Nov 1, 2016 7:05 AM CDT

Zika Virus Ravages Testicles of Male Mice

Just 2 weeks post-infection, their testes shrank visibly

(Newser) - The Zika virus has been linked to microcephaly, or shrunken heads, in the infants of pregnant women who contract the virus, but it also decimates the testicles of males—at least in mice, report researchers in the journal Nature . Little is currently known about the impact of an infection on...

Mosquitoes Transmitting Zika in Another Fla. Neighborhood

5 people infected in 1-square-mile area north of Little Haiti

(Newser) - Florida health officials have identified another Miami neighborhood where mosquitoes have spread the Zika virus to people, the AP reports. Gov. Rick Scott's office announced Thursday that five people have been infected with Zika in a 1-square-mile area of the city just north of the Little Haiti neighborhood. According...

A New Worry in Hurricane Matthew's Wake: Zika

Scientists warn that infection rate could rise as standing water attracts mosquitoes

(Newser) - Hurricane Matthew left more than devastation behind on its rampage from Haiti to North Carolina. Experts are worried the storm created conditions that could unleash the Zika virus from southern Florida up the Atlantic coast, reports McClatchy . Pools of standing water left in the storm's wake make prime breeding...

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