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The Zika virus has been known for quite some time, but it gained notoriety recently due to its possible linkage to birth defects.
Science News has a summary report on Zika virus:
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/special-report-heres-what-we-know-about-zika
A report on the studies of its possible linkage to microcephaly, a birth defect of babies with undersized and underdeveloped brains:
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/how-zika-became-prime-suspect-microcephaly-mystery
In short, studies are continuing, evidence is mounting, but still not quite a confirmation.
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Air pollution is really making us pay through the nose.
(Score: 2) by HiThere on Tuesday March 29 2016, @07:02PM
Not clear, though possibly true. Zitka seems to require a particular species of mosquito, which I don't believe is currently present. A coulple of cases in Florida an Texas may mean that it's starting to arrive...or may represent some other source of infection. I believe shared bodily fluids could do it, possibly even a kiss. And most people are essentially asymptomatic.
OTOH, I'm not an expert in any of the related areas. I'm relying on vague memories of general science news reporting, so any of this could be wrong in two or three different ways.
Javascript is what you use to allow unknown third parties to run software you have no idea about on your computer.
(Score: 3, Informative) by khallow on Thursday March 31 2016, @02:12PM
A study published online Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine shows the potential range of Aedes aegypti, a tropical mosquito species that is the primary carrier of Zika, blanketing the southern U.S. and reaching as far north as San Francisco; Kansas City, Mo.; and New York City. The likely extent of another Zika-carrying mosquito species, Aedes albopictus, stretched across the Southwest and covered most of the eastern U.S., including northern New England, according to the study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Previously, the CDC’s maps showed the ranges of both species generally concentrated in the South, though Aedes albopictus ranged north to New York City and Illinois. The changes were based on new data collected by the CDC and its local partners that show where the mosquitoes have been found. Areas where the mosquitoes are endemic—Puerto Rico, Hawaii and the Gulf states—remained the same.