Researchers Work To Learn More About Zika Virus

The Zika virus is a disease caused by mosquito bites that has started to spread across South America. UNC microbiology assistant professor Helen Lazear, said scientists are starting to see symptoms that have not previously been associated with the virus.

“There’s been outbreaks of the Zika virus in the past and for the most part these were pretty mild,” UNC microbiology assistant professor Helen Lazear said. “People would develop a fever and a rash, but what’s been unusual about the most recent outbreak and what’s really been driving most of the attention is now Zika virus has been associated with some more severe complications.”

Now for the first time the virus has caused the immune system to attack the nervous system and also possibly resulted in birth defects in pregnant women.

“This is something we really don’t know much about,” she said. “It’s not clear whether this virus is in fact causing birth defects, if it’s able to cause these effects in pregnant women. We need to do a lot more research to find out what’s happening.”

Although scientists have known about the virus for nearly 70 years, Lazear said little is known about it.

“There’s a couple of different kinds of research we need to do,” she said. “One is clinical so that’s doing clinical studies in people who are infected with Zika virus what sorts of disease symptoms that happen when you’re infected. We also need to do basic research and that’s done more in a science laboratory.”

There have been cases of the Zika virus in America, but the majority of these cases have been the result of people traveling to South American countries and brining the infection back. There has also been one reported case of the virus spreading through sexual contact.

“Unless you’re planning on traveling to a place where this virus is circulating, there’s not any reason to be concerned about it,” she said.

Because of the possible birth defects that might result from the virus, the Center for Disease Control has urged women who are pregnant or who are planning to be pregnant to avoid traveling to places where the Zika virus is spreading.

Lazear said there was a possibility of the virus spreading to the United States because the mosquitoes that carry the virus are found in the Southern U.S., but that was unlikely due to certain environmental factors.

Researchers Work To Learn More About Zika Virus

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