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.
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.
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.
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.
Zika virus in Bangladesh

According to the state minister for health, one case of Zika virus was found in Bangladesh in 2014. This is alarming news.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Facts behind Zika virus 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.
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.
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.
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.
'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.
Zika virus: Pregnant Queensland woman tests positive

A pregnant woman living in Queensland, Australia has tested positive for the Zika virus, say health authorities.
Govt to bear treatment cost: Nasim

Health Minister Mohammad Nasim has urged people not to be panicked regarding the risk of Zika virus infection.
Govt to bear treatment cost if anyone is found with Zika virus

If anyone is detected with Zika virus, the government will bear the cost of their treatment, Health Minister Mohammad Nasim says. Bangladesh government has taken all necessary steps to control the spread of the Zika virus, he tells reporters at the health ministry.
'3,100 pregnant women in Colombia have Zika virus'

Over 3,100 pregnant Colombian women are infected with the mosquito-borne Zika virus, President Juan Manuel Santos says.
Colombia links Zika to rare nerve disorder deaths

Colombia says three people have died after contracting the Zika virus and developing a rare nerve disorder. Health Minister Alejandro Gaviria said there was a "causal connection" between Zika, the Guillain-Barre disorder and the three deaths.
Govt to guard against Zika

The government will strengthen surveillance at air, water and land ports across the country and screen travellers coming from countries affected by Zika epidemic.
Screening of travellers from Zika-affected areas at all ports

The government is to strengthen surveillance and screening of travelers coming into Bangladesh’s air, water and land ports coming from the countries affected by the Zika virus.
S America holds crisis meeting as Zika 'nightmare' spreads

South American health ministers hold an emergency meeting on slowing the spread of the Zika virus, dubbed a "nightmare" by hard-hit Brazil, where it is blamed for brain damage in babies.
Zika more risky at higher temperature

The mosquito behind the Zika virus seems to operate like a heat-driven missile of disease. The hotter it gets, the better the mosquito that carries Zika virus is at transmitting its buffet of dangerous illnesses, scientists say.