Just when the horror that is the Ebola virus is fading, there is, so to speak, a new virus disease to worry about, Zika.
Here are 5 quick must-know facts about the Zika virus disease:
1.Zika has been linked to causing Microcephaly. A condition that may cause mental retardation, staggered speech, movement and growth delays in children born to affected mothers.
2.The Zika virus is spread by a bite by the Aedes mosquito.
3.Sexual transmission-though at a much smaller scale-has also been proved to spread Zika virus.
4.Symptoms of Zika virus are mild and non-life threatening. They may include: fever, rash, headaches, joint pain, pain behind one’s ears and soar itchy, reddened eyes.
5.There is no vaccine for the Zika virus.
Though the Zika virus was initially discovered in the Zika forest in Uganda in 1947, the recent outbreak first reported in spats in 2014 has been largely limited to Latin America.
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