Zika Virus blamed for condition called microcephaly
Q. A condition called microcephaly in humans is caused by- Published on 01 Feb 16a. A virus
b. DNA mutation
c. Fungal Infection of lungs
d. By prions
ANSWER: A virus
Aedes mosquito which transmits dengue also transmits Zika virus. Alarm over thousands of birth defects blamed on the mosquito-borne Zika virus spread on Friday, as the United States expanded a travel warning for pregnant women. With the sting of a mosquito bite and a fever, many pregnant women may not know that they caught the Zika virus — until it strikes their unborn child. Now authorities in some Latin American countries are warning women to avoid getting pregnant for fear of the virus. Babies across the region, and at least one in the United States, have been born with abnormally smaller heads — a condition doctors call microcephaly, which can cause brain damage. The scare has struck hardest in Brazil, which hosts the summer Olympic Games in August. But the World Health Organisation and others have stressed that any link between Zika and the defect remains circumstantial and is not yet proven scientifically. Health officials have also reported Zika patients developing Guillain-Barre syndrome, a neurological disorder that can cause paralysis or even death.
