Zika Virus

Kissing unlikely to pass on Zika virus: researchers

Kissing is unlikely to pass on the Zika virus, which is harmless for most people but can cause severe brain damage in unborn children, a study with monkeys shows.

Rio Olympics / Dustin Johnson pulls out over Zika concerns

World number two Dustin Johnson, who won his first major title at the US Open Golf Championship in June, will not play in the Rio Olympics because of concerns over the Zika virus.

Rio Olympics / Body parts wash ashore next to Rio Olympic venue

Parts of a mutilated body wash up on the sands of Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro on Wednesday, just meters (yards) from where beach volleyball athletes will compete in the upcoming Olympics.

Rio 2016 / Day pulls out over Zika fears

World No.1 golfer Jason Day of Australia says he is withdrawing from the Rio Olympic Games over the threat of the Zika virus.

Rio 2016 / Golfer Grace pulls out of Olympics due to Zika

South African Branden Grace joins a growing list of leading golfers withdrawing from the Rio Olympics on Friday due to concerns about the Zika virus.

Rio Olympics / Long jump champ Rutherford freezes sperm over Zika fears

Olympic long jump champion Greg Rutherford decides to freeze his sperm because of fears about the Zika virus at this year's Games in Rio de Janeiro.

IOC: Olympic games will go ahead despite Zika

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) says that it sees no need to cancel, delay or move the Rio Olympic Games because of the Zika virus threat.

Scientists raise fear of higher Zika risk

The mosquito-borne Zika virus may be even more dangerous than previously thought, scientists in Brazil say.

Zika virus: 2.2 billion people in 'at risk' areas

More than two billion people live in parts of the world where the Zika virus can spread, detailed maps published in the journal eLife show.

March 22, 2016
March 22, 2016

Zika trace found in Bangladesh in 2014: Minister

Zika, a virus which is known to have affected mainly pregnant women and is currently an epidemic around the globe, was found in Bangladesh in 2014. The trace was found within a blood sample taken in 2014 from a sexagenarian in Chittagong, state minister for health, told reporters.

March 22, 2016
March 22, 2016

S Korea confirms first Zika case

South Korean health authorities say a man who recently returned home from Brazil has been confirmed to be infected with the Zika virus.

March 9, 2016
March 9, 2016

WHO calls for Zika research

The World Health Organization (WHO) calls for urgent research into different strains of the Zika virus and says that health services in affected areas should be ready for potential increases in the incidence of neurological syndromes and/or congenital malformations.

March 5, 2016
March 5, 2016

Evidence mounts linking Zika virus to birth defects

Evidence mounted linking Zika to the birth defect microcephaly, and the United Nations health agency set a review of travel advice related to the outbreak of the virus while US officials planned strategy to control mosquitoes that spread it.

March 2, 2016
March 2, 2016

Factbox: Why Zika virus is causing alarm

Global health officials are racing to better understand the Zika virus behind a major outbreak that began in Brazil last year and has since spread to many countries in the Americas.

February 28, 2016
February 28, 2016

First sexually transmitted Zika case detected in France

France has detected its first sexually transmitted case of Zika in a woman whose partner had traveled to Brazil, the epicentre of an outbreak of the virus, a senior health official says.

February 25, 2016
February 25, 2016

Zika outbreak will worsen before it gets better: WHO

The head of the World Health Organization warns that the Zika outbreak would likely worsen before nations besieged by the mosquito-borne virus linked to thousands of birth defects in Brazil see relief.

February 23, 2016
February 23, 2016

Brazil to fight Zika by sterilizing mosquitoes with gamma rays

Brazil is planning to fight the Zika virus by zapping millions of male mosquitoes with gamma rays to sterilize them and stop the spread of the virus linked to thousands of birth defects.

February 20, 2016
February 20, 2016

CDC, Brazil start big study to test Zika link to birth defects

US and Brazilian researchers are heading to João Pessoa in the state of Paraíba on Monday to recruit mothers and babies in one of the biggest government-led studies to understand whether the Zika virus is linked to microcephaly, a rare birth defect.

February 13, 2016
February 13, 2016

Zika virus may hide in organs protected from immune system

The Zika virus may be particularly adept at entrenching itself in parts of the body that are shielded from the immune system, making it harder to fight off and possibly lengthening the timeframe in which it can be transmitted, top US experts say.

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