The World Health Organization (WHO) announced the breakout of a virus called Zika which is a theat to pregnant mothers and their newborns.
On Monday evening, the organisation declared the virus an international emergency based on the alarming reports of the virus in the world. WHO said the virus is spreading faster in the entire world and, therefore, Africa could be at risk too. The virus is being treated as a health epidemic.
The virus damages the brain of the newborn children and mothers who are affected by this virus are likely to give birth to children whose head are small, therefore, the brain of the child is smaller than expected since it did not develop properly. The virus is brought about by Aedes mosquitoes. If this mosquito bites an infected person, it transfers the virus to other people which it will bite.
The virus can also be transferred from mother to child through the amniotic fluid. Also, having sex with an infected person can lead to you acquiring the virus. Its symptoms, however, are like those of flu.
According to WHO report, the virus has no vaccine yet. However, protection measures should be put in place a good way to start would be to destroy breeding grounds for mosquitoes and sleep in a treated mosquito net.