Zika virus

Two More U.S. Cases Of Zika Virus Likely Shared Via Sex

8:55pm February 23, 2016

by Rae Ellen Bichell

U.S. health officials say they have confirmed the two women had Zika. And their only risk factor was having slept with male partners who had recently traveled to places with active virus transmission.

These people have just walked across the bridge from Venezuela to Colombia, where the Colombian immigration authorities are on duty. Many people live on one side and work on the other, crossing so frequently they don't have to register with officials each

Health & Safety

Venezuela Won't Talk To Colombia About Zika — And That's A Problem

5:51pm February 23, 2016

Colombia would like to coordinate with Venezuela to fight the virus. That's not happening. Meanwhile, Venezuelans who cross the border may be bringing Zika with them.

"Just because Zika is here, doesn't mean we're going to raise the price" for condoms, says sales clerk Coralis Ferrer-Marrero.

Puerto Rico Freezes Condom Prices To Prevent Zika Profiteering

4:02pm February 23, 2016

by Rolando Arrieta

With Zika spreading in Puerto Rico, the government has forbidden stores from raising prices on mosquito repellent, window screens, larvicides and condoms.

Mylene Helena Ferraira of Recife, Brazil, carries her 5-month-old son, David Henrique Ferreira, who was born with microcephaly. She's returning home after a medical visit.

CDC Arrives In Brazil To Investigate Zika Outbreak

6:33pm February 22, 2016

by Rob Stein

U.S. disease detectives are launching a research project that health authorities hope will produce the most definitive evidence yet about whether the virus is really causing birth defects.

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Sonia Shah is also the author of The Fever and The Body Hunters.

'Pandemic' Asks: Is A Disease That Will Kill Tens Of Millions Coming?

5:40pm February 22, 2016

Author Sonia Shah says that urbanization and air travel put the global population at an increased risk for disease. "Zika is a great example of how new pathogens are emerging today," she says.

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Feet and ankles are a feast for mosquitoes.

Why Zika-Spreading Mosquitoes Love Feet And Ankles

2:42pm February 22, 2016

by Maanvi Singh

How do these buggers manage to find and feast on even the smallest cracks of exposed skin? Well to start, they're really good at sniffing out our B.O.

Health & Safety

Would It Be A Bad Thing to Wipe Out A Species ... If It's A Mosquito?

6:50am February 20, 2016

by Malaka Gharib

Should we get rid of the Zika-spreading Aedes aegypti species? Or is it just never a good idea to eradicate a critter?

A health worker in Lima, Peru, fumigates against the mosquito that spreads Zika virus, dengue and chikungunya.

How Scientists Misread The Threat Of Zika Virus

5:21pm February 19, 2016

by NPR Staff

Zika was ignored by infectious disease scientists for years. This happens more often than you might think, especially with diseases discovered in remote regions. A researcher says we can do better.

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Dr. Tom Frieden (left), director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, testifies about Zika virus with Dr. Anthony Fauci (center), director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and Dr. Ariel Pablos-Mendez, assistant a

Health & Safety

When Fear Becomes An Unintended Public Health Problem

4:19pm February 19, 2016

by Doug Levy

There's a fine line between telling people about an emerging public health threat, such as Zika virus, and scaring them out of their wits. Once alarm spreads, it can be hard to make the facts known.

Born in December, Valentina Vitoria has microcephaly, the birth defect that causes an abnormally small head and can cause brain damage as well. Her mother is 32-year-old Fabiane Lopes.

Health & Safety

Moms And Infants Are Abandoned In Brazil Amid Surge In Microcephaly

8:40am February 19, 2016

by Lourdes Garcia-Navarro

There have been several cases of abandoned babies already — at least three in Rio. And a psychologist believes that some men will walk out on their partner if a newborn has the birth defect.

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