‘Alarm Over ‘Zika’ Virus, A Devastating New Mosquito-Borne Disease Affecting Pregnant Women’

Zika a new mosquito borne disease is causing alarm after research indicated that  pregnant women are highly at risk from exposure to the mosquito that spreads it.

Pregnant women are strongly advised to avoid travelling to such areas as Puerto Rico, Paraguay, Suriname, French Guiana,  El Salvador, Mexico,   Panama, Honduras, Guatemala,  Martinique, Brazil, Venezuela,Haiti,  and Colombia,which are prone to the mosquito borne virus.

This is primarily because scientists have now realised that the Zika virus can cause infected pregnant victims to give birth to  babies born with the severe birth defects including small heads and under development.

Currently, scientists, worldwide have no vaccine against or cure for Zika but accept that while people beyond the areas of concern are not neccessarily at risk, infected victims could travel to their areas.  By Sibusiso Ngwenya

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