Zika virus

U.S. health officials have concluded that infection with the Zika virus in pregnant women is a cause of the birth defect microcephaly and other severe brain abnormalities in babies. 

Scientists in Brazil have uncovered a 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. 

Google on March 3 said that it is working with UNICEF to map the spread of Zika and pitching in a million dollars to support the group's efforts on the ground.

Scientists on March 1 said they had confirmed that the Zika virus sweeping Latin America and blamed for severe birth defects can also trigger a dangerous neurological disorder.

It was a typically anodyne statement by the World Health Organisation: "Given the magnitude of the Zika crisis, WHO encourages affected countries and their partners to boost the use of both old and new approaches to mosquito control." Anodyne, that is, until you realize what they mean by "new approaches."

Joint teams of U.S. and Brazilian health workers will fan out across one of Brazil's poorest states Feb. 23 in search of mothers and infants for a study aimed at determining whether the Zika virus is causing babies to be born with unusually small heads.

Bulgaria's Foreign Ministry has advised the country's citizens to exercise caution when visiting parts of South America afflicted by mosquito-transmitted diseases.

Brazil is signing an agreement with the University of Texas to develop a vaccine against the Zika virus, the country's health minister said on Feb. 11, adding the goal is for the vaccine to be ready for clinical testing within 12 months.

The Serbian Ministry of Health is in daily contact with the World Health Organization and the relevant bodies when it comes to the Zika virus.

It is implementing all preventive measures, Serbian Health Minister Zlatibor Loncar said in Belgrade on Wednesday.

More than 3,100 pregnant Colombian women are infected with the mosquito-borne Zika virus, President Juan Manuel Santos said on Feb. 6, as the disease continues its rapid spread across the Americas. 

There are 25,645 people infected with Zika in Colombia, Santos said during a TV broadcast with health officials. Among them are 3,177 pregnant women.