Zika | The Daily Star

Pre-empting the next pandemic

Recent disease outbreaks, like Ebola and Zika, have demonstrated the need to anticipate pandemics and contain them before they emerge.
Tips on how to prevent mosquito bites

In addition to unpleasant itching and scratching, days after they can also cause some more serious problems, spreading diseases such as chikungunya, dengue and Zika. Here we've put together some top tips on steps you can take to avoid being bitten.
US declares Zika public health emergency in Puerto Rico

US health authorities on Friday declare a public health emergency in Puerto Rico due to the outbreak of Zika, which has now infected more than 10,000 people.
Zika fears keep Dustin Johnson away

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.
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.
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.
Golfer 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.
McIlroy pulls out of Olympics over Zika virus

Rory McIlroy has pulled out of the Olympic Games in Rio because of concerns about the Zika virus.
Rio state declares financial emergency

Rio de Janeiro's governor declares a state of financial emergency and requests federal funds to help fulfill obligations for public services during the Olympics that start August 5.
'Super bacteria' in Rio's Olympic venues

Scientists find dangerous drug-resistant "super bacteria" off beaches in Rio de Janeiro that will host Olympic swimming events and in a lagoon where rowing and canoe athletes will compete when the Games start on August 5.
Long jump champ 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.
WHO to conduct Zika Olympic examination

The World Health Organization is to conduct an examination into the risks of holding the Olympic Games in Brazil because of the Zika virus.
Australia briefed on Zika virus

Australia captain Steven Smith and his team have been warned about risks associated with the Zika virus ahead of their tour of the West Indies next month.
Extra-strong condoms for Aussie Olympic team

Australia's Olympians will be issued with free super-strength condoms in Rio to minimise any infection from the Zika virus, officials say on Monday.
Scientists raise fear of higher Zika risk

The mosquito-borne Zika virus may be even more dangerous than previously thought, scientists in Brazil say.
Scientists find new Zika-linked brain disorder in adults

Scientists in Brazil uncovers new brain disorder associated with Zika infections in adults: an autoimmune syndrome called acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, or ADEM, that attacks the brain and spinal cord.
Brazil to launch anti-Zika app for Olympics

Brazil's health ministry says it will launch a smartphone application to track the Zika virus during the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and help visitors detect the disease.
First case of Zika found in 2014

Medical researchers in Bangladesh have detected the first case of Zika virus, ringing alarms for the authorities to take strong preventive measures at the early stage.
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.
Panama reports Zika baby brain case

Panama registers a baby born with a brain disorder believed linked to the Zika virus, in what is thought to be the first such case outside Brazil in the current outbreak.
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.
Zika 'might cause' neurological disorder: study

New research gives the first evidence that Zika virus might cause a severe neurological disorder called Guillain-Barré syndrome.
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.
Rio Olympics to charge teams for mosquito screens to prevent Zika

The organising committee for the August Olympics in Rio de Janeiro said it will charge national delegations to have mosquito screens on athletes' rooms.
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.
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.
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.
3 dead in Venezuela after contracting Zika: President

Three people dies in Venezuela from complications linked to Zika, says President Nicolas Maduro.
'Strongest evidence yet' of effect of Zika virus on babies

One of the US's most senior public health officials has revealed the "strongest evidence to date" of the effect on babies of the Zika virus.
China confirms first case of Zika virus

China has confirmed its first case of the Zika virus in a man who had recently travelled to South America, the official Xinhua news agency has reported.