<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/57d17675b996eb580f8b693c-701/us-house-to-attempt-passing-emergency-zika-funds-next-week-2016-5.jpg" alt="Therapist Rozely Fontoura holds Juan Pedro, who has microcephaly, in Recife, Brazil March 26, 2016.  REUTERS/Paulo Whitaker  " data-mce-source="Thomson Reuters" data-mce-caption="The Wider Image: Alternative therapies for microcephaly " /><p class="source"><span>Thomson Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">The Wider Image: Alternative therapies for microcephaly </p></div><p></p></div></div>We're now more than a year into the Zika outbreak in the Americas, and the effects are starting to show in Brazil.</p><p>Over the past year, rates of birth defects in Brazil have doubled, while instances of Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS), a condition in which the immune system attacks the body's nervous system, have tripled, according to a study published online in the <a href="http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/22/11/16-0901_article">CDC's journal of Emerging Infectious Diseases.</a></p><p>On Wednesday, the World Health Organization <a href="http://www.who.int/emergencies/zika-virus/causality/en/">confirmed that Zika was a cause</a> of GBS in adults and brain abnormalities in newborns. </p><p>The Zika virus is mainly <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/zika/transmission/">spread by mosquitoes</a>, although sexually transmitted cases have also been reported. <span>Once infected, only about 20% of people </span><a href="http://www.cdc.gov/zika/symptoms/index.html">ever show symptoms</a><span>, which most commonly include fever, rash, joint pain, and red eyes. But for those who are pregnant, or those in which the infection leads to GBS, Zika can be a lot more serious. </span></p><p><span>The authors of the latest study noted that there were "<span>abrupt changes" in the rates of hospitalization for these neurological conditions that began in mid-2014, when Zika was likely introduced to Brazil. Those rates went up even more starting in November 2015, when the first public health warnings about microcephaly - a condition present at birth in which a baby's head is abnormally small - came out. (Some of the rise may have been due to public warnings and increased vigilance about these conditions, but that's unlikely to account for most of of the spike, the researchers <a href="http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/22/11/16-0901_article">write</a>.)</span></span></p><p>At its peak, the birth defect hospitalization rate per 100,000 live births quadrupled to 170, but has since dropped closer to 100 per 100,000 live births, the <a href="http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/22/11/16-0901_article">researchers reported</a>.</p><p><span></span>Here's a series of charts examining the different rates.<strong> Chart A</strong> represents the rates of birth defects present per 100,000 live births, with the dark line representing the Northeast region of Brazil where Zika hit the country the hardest. <strong>Chart B</strong> represents rates of hospitalizations for GBS in the same region, while <strong>chart C</strong> represent rates of cases of encephalitis, myelitis and encephalomyelitis (inflammation of the brain, spinal cord or both).</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/57d173f009d29330008b697d-600/16-0901-f2.jpg" alt="16 0901 F2" data-mce-source="CDC" data-link="http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/22/11/16-0901_article" /><p class="source"><span><a href="http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/22/11/16-0901_article">CDC</a></span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/zika-virus-potential-threat-united-states-prevention-government-spending-2016-4">CDC on Zika virus: It's 'scarier than we initially thought'</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="t1NmxyMjE60Yi8lJYkhT4pX8JNc2dMF9" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 't1NmxyMjE60Yi8lJYkhT4pX8JNc2dMF9',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

Birth defects and nervous system disorders rose abruptly in Brazil after the arrival of Zika

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/50917866.cms" /><br /> <keyword id="3189910" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Zika">Zika</keyword> is not a recently discovered virus. It has been there for quite a while now, spreading quietly among the mankind. So why is it making so much of noise now? Until few months back, Zika was a quiet virus that did not do anything except causing mild fever and rashes. It is only when about 1 million people were affected in <keyword id="6355226" type="COUNTRY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Brazil">Brazil</keyword> in 2015, that <keyword id="6366244" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="WHO">WHO</keyword> declared a public health emergency in February 2016. Brazil and Polynesian Islands are on Zika high alert. Recent news reports said it is spreading fast and India is not free from its risk. <br /><br />

	While we are still safe, precaution is always better than cure. Be well prepared before it strikes. Here are the answers to your questions and doubts.
<br /><br />

	<strong>What is it</strong>
<br /><br />

	Zika is a mosquito borne virus. It causes mild fever, rash, body ache and sometimes coupled with nausea and diarrhoea. The virus flushes itself out of the system within a week.
<br /><br />

	In some severe cases, people infected with it were later disgnosed with Guillain-Barre, a rare neurological condition in which people’s immune system damage their nerve cells.
<br /><br /> It is also linked with terrible birth defect called <keyword id="903822" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="microcephaly">microcephaly</keyword>, which is characterised by shrunken head and incomplete brain and leads to the death of the baby with hours of being born. <br /><br />

	<strong>When was it discovered</strong>
<br /><br />

	It was discovered in 1947 when it got separated from the monkey of the Zika forest.
<br /><br />

	<strong>How it spreads</strong>
<br /><br />

	It is not a contagious disease. It will spread only when a mosquito bites an infected person and the virus carrying mosquito bites a healthy person.
<br /><br />

	It also attacks the foetus of a pregnant woman if she is infected.
<br /><br />

	<strong>Precautions</strong>
<br /><br />

	1.<span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>For women living in pandemic areas, they are advised not to conceive anytime soon. They can conceive in the near future as the virus is flushed out of the system after a week.
<br /><br />

	2.<span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>Pregnant women are advised not to visit pandemic areas.

	<br />
	<br />
	(Image credits: Reuters)


Everything you need to know about Zika-the deadliest virus around

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/583c94125124c9c908995fad-450-300/texas-reports-first-case-of-zika-likely-from-local-mosquitoes.jpg" alt="Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are seen at the Laboratory of Entomology and Ecology of the Dengue Branch of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in San Juan, Puerto Rico, March 6, 2016. REUTERS/Alvin Baez/File Photo  " border="0" /><p class="source"><span>Thomson Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are seen at the Laboratory of Entomology and Ecology of the Dengue Branch of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in San Juan, Puerto Rico.</p></div><p></p></div></div>(Reuters) - Texas officials on Monday reported the <a href="http://www.dshs.texas.gov/news/releases/2016/20161128.aspx">state's first case of the Zika virus</a> that was likely transmitted by a local mosquito, expanding the spread within the continental United States of a virus that has been linked to microcephaly, a rare birth defect.</p><p>The case involved a woman living in Cameron County near the Mexico border, the Texas Department of State Health Services said.</p><p>The state said it currently has no other suspected cases of local transmission, though <a href="http://www.texaszika.org/">Texas has reported</a> 257 confirmed cases that residents got while traveling to affected areas or from having sex with people who traveled.</p><p>"We knew it was only a matter of time before we saw a Zika case spread by a mosquito in Texas," DSHS commissioner Dr. John Hellerstedt said in a statement. "We still don't believe the virus will become widespread in Texas, but there could be more cases, so people need to protect themselves from mosquito bites, especially in parts of the state that stay relatively warm in the fall and winter."</p><p>The <keyword id="6355005" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="News">news</keyword> comes just over a week after the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-who-declares-end-of-zika-emergency-but-still-needs-action-2016-11">World Health Organization declared Zika was no longer</a> a "public health emergency," indicating that the disease was now a threat it would be fighting long term, like malaria or yellow fever.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/583ca07dba6eb64e018b5e98-1341" alt="zika" data-mce-source="Reuters" data-link="http://pictures.reuters.com/C.aspx?VP3=SearchResult&amp;VBID=2C0FCI4KQ741D&amp;SMLS=1&amp;RW=1649&amp;RH=876#/SearchResult&amp;VBID=2C0FCI4KQ741D&amp;SMLS=1&amp;RW=1649&amp;RH=876&amp;POPUPPN=3&amp;POPUPIID=2C0FQEA1KW7K" /><p class="source"><span><a href="http://pictures.reuters.com/C.aspx?VP3=SearchResult&amp;VBID=2C0FCI4KQ741D&amp;SMLS=1&amp;RW=1649&amp;RH=876#/SearchResult&amp;VBID=2C0FCI4KQ741D&amp;SMLS=1&amp;RW=1649&amp;RH=876&amp;POPUPPN=3&amp;POPUPIID=2C0FQEA1KW7K">Reuters</a></span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p><a href="http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/22/7/15-1990_article">Most people who get Zika have mild symptoms</a> - and many don't even realize they have the virus - but the disease can cause severe neurological problems, including Guillain-Barre Syndrome in adults and microcephaly in fetuses.</p><p>While most northern states in the US are protected from local Zika transmission because the cold kills mosquitoes in the winter, researchers predict that the virus could be in southern states like Texas and Florida permanently.</p><p>The <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/zika/geo/united-states.html">US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported</a> over 4,200 Zika cases in US states, and over 180 locally acquired cases, which until Monday were only reported in Florida. Over 31,000 cases have been reported in Puerto Rico, where the virus has been <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2015/s1231-zika.html">circulating among local mosquitoes since December 2015</a>.</p><p>"Every time an imported case comes, you're rolling that dice in terms of a local outbreak occurring," <a href="http://globalhealth.washington.edu/faculty/david-pigott" rel="nofollow">David Pigott</a>, a global health expert at the University of Washington, told Business Insider Insider in August when the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/how-far-will-zika-spread-in-america-2016-8/#heres-where-those-two-aedes-mosquitoes-are-present-in-the-us">virus started circulating on the US mainland</a>. "I think it could well be that these [Florida] cases represent the tip of the iceberg, but I don't know if anyone knows how big that iceberg could potentially get."</p><p> </p><p><em>Reuters contributed to this report.</em></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/homemade-soda-bottle-mosquito-trap-cheap-fast-2016-5">How to build a mosquito trap in under 15 minutes</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="VvNDVnMzE6rGg1a6tl_bvkJZ6QYULBRM" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'VvNDVnMzE6rGg1a6tl_bvkJZ6QYULBRM',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

Texas reports the first case of Zika that likely came from local mosquitoes

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/56ba61412e526554008b614c-1778-1334/rtx25o7m.jpg" alt="Zika microcephaly" data-mce-source="Ueslei Marcelino/Reuters" data-mce-caption="Rosana Vieira Alves fixes the hair of her 4-month-old daughter Luana Vieira, who was born with microcephaly." /><p class="source"><span>Ueslei Marcelino/Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">Rosana Vieira Alves fixes the hair of her 4-month-old daughter Luana Vieira, who was born with microcephaly.</p></div><p></p></div></div>Scientists have found a disturbing new component to the birth defects associated with the Zika virus.</p><p class="p1">In one of the first studies <a href="http://archopht.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=2491896">published</a> related to the recent Zika outbreak, researchers in Brazil documented the eye abnormalities in babies with a traditionally rare condition called microcephaly. Babies with the condition <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-microcephaly-2016-2">are born with abnormally small brains</a>, which can be connected with other complications. It's not unusual for vision problems to be <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/birthdefects/microcephaly.html">associated with microcephaly</a>. </p><p>They found that in one-third of babies with microcephaly - after a presumed Zika infection before they were born - there was an additional eye abnormality that could threaten their vision.</p><p>Ten of the 29 babies observed had irregularities in one or both eyes, and about 80% of the mothers reported Zika-like symptoms during their pregnancy.</p><p>This led the researchers to conclude that Zika is linked to this eye problem, including damage to the retina, the layer at the back of the eye that's responsible that converts images into signals that are sent to the brain.</p><p>"We're very concerned about this," Lee Jampol, a professor of ophthalmology at Northwestern, <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2016/02/09/brazilian-babies-zika-related-birth-defectseye-problems/80060690/?hootPostID=c385e0bd661195450709b77f461c7459">told USA Today</a>. "There hasn't been enough testing yet to know what these babies' vision is going to be."</p><p>In an accompanying editorial, Jampol and fellow Northwestern ophthalmologist Debra Goldstein advised that babies born with microcephaly in areas with Zika virus should have their eyes examined, though that recommendation didn't extend to babies in areas with Zika virus that don't have microcephaly. The study and editorial were published <a href="http://archopht.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=2491896">Tuesday in JAMA Ophthalmology</a>.</p><p>For the most part, only about one in five people with Zika ever <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/zika/symptoms/index.html">shows symptoms</a>, which most commonly include fever, rash, joint pain, and red eyes, though there have been cases of a temporary neurological disorder called <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=1&amp;cad=rja&amp;uact=8&amp;sqi=2&amp;ved=0ahUKEwiBiOPgmOHKAhUCdz4KHW-VBigQFggcMAA&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ninds.nih.gov%2Fdisorders%2Fgbs%2Fdetail_gbs.htm&amp;usg=AFQjCNHlimnCuuW-6oC_hPUkxMxUTM114g&amp;bvm=bv.113370389,d.cWw">Guillain-Barre Syndrome</a> associated with Zika.</p><p class="p1">It's Zika's connection to microcephaly that's particularly concerning. This connection has raised concerns about pregnant women contracting the virus. There are currently no vaccines nor treatments, though vaccines are <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/zika-vaccine-best-case-scenario-timeline-2016-2">in early development</a>. The best way to prevent infection is to avoid being bitten by the mosquitoes that transmit the disease, by either avoiding <keyword id="6354692" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Travel">travel</keyword> to areas where the virus is being transmitted, or wearing long clothes and using mosquito repellent.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/how-long-drugs-stay-system-hair-blood-urine-cocaine-marijuana-mdma-2016-2">This is how long drugs actually stay in your system</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="15dW9tMDE6b-pX4-aE8O8vP9j1-YS_Mp" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', '15dW9tMDE6b-pX4-aE8O8vP9j1-YS_Mp',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

Scientists just discovered a disturbing new defect associated with the untreatable Zika virus

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/56a65edd8a45654b4eade9f5-3290-2468/zika-mosquito-1.jpg" alt="Zika mosquito" data-mce-source="Business Insider" data-mce-caption="Zika mosquito" /><p class="source"><span>Business Insider</span></p><p class="caption">Zika mosquito</p></div><p></p></div></div>Ana Rius, Puerto Rico's <span class="s2">health secretary, just announced the first Zika-related death on the island.</span></p><p>According to <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/puerto-rico-reports-first-zika-related-death-amid-outbreak/2016/04/29/8b537422-0e26-11e6-bc53-db634ca94a2a_story.html">the Associated Press</a>, a 70-year-old man who had been infected with Zika died in February from a drop in blood platelets, the part of the blood that is responsible for forming clots.</p><p>It's still unclear if or how the two issues converged to be fatal; while a low-platelet count can be deadly on its own if untreated, Zika is rarely fatal in healthy adults. </p><p class="p2">Puerto Rico, a US territory, has seen more than 600 Zika cases of Zika. Seventy-three of those cases have been in pregnant women, which is of particular concern to health officials since <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/cdc-zika-causes-birth-defects-including-microcephaly-2016-4">the virus can cause severe birth defects like microcephaly</a>, a condition in which babies being born with abnormally small heads. So far, 14 of the infected women have given birth to healthy babies, according to AP.</p><p>Another 16 Puerto Ricans are currently hospitalized with the virus; health officials say 4 may have developed Guillain-Barre Syndrome, a temporary condition that can cause paralysis, as a result.</p><p>Zika is a fairly new virus that's been spreading throughout South America and some US territories. While it's been documented among US travelers, local transmission has only been reported in US territories. So far, there's no rapid diagnostic test to detect Zika in a newly-infected person. And it has no cure.</p><p>Despite its severe potential consquences for babies, Zika is rarely deadly for healthy adults and typically only causes symptoms similar to those of having a cold or a fever. </p><p class="story-body-text story-content" data-para-count="254" data-total-count="254"><span><span><span>Nevertheless, some scientists are concerned about Zika in North America, especially since only about 20% of infected people ever show symptoms. Peter Hotez, Dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine and the Director of the Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, <a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/zika-virus-has-come-america-sort-n494731">told NBC News</a> in January that he was "very worried about Zika."</span></span></span></p><p class="story-body-text story-content" data-para-count="254" data-total-count="254"><span><span>While a single<span> tourist is unlikely to be the cause of an outbreak in the US, some American cities <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/zika-in-the-us-this-summer-2016-4">could be vulnerable to Zika's spread</a>, he said.</span></span></span></p><p class="story-body-text story-content" data-para-count="254" data-total-count="254"><span><span><span>As of April 18, <span>43 countries and territories have reported local transmission of the virus:</span></span></span></span></p><p class="story-body-text story-content" data-para-count="254" data-total-count="254"><span><span><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5715421152bcd020008bd5d2-1200-1170/bi_graphics_zika-spread-map_apr-18-2016.png" alt="BI_Graphics_Zika Spread Map_Apr 18 2016" data-mce-source="Dragan Radovanovic/Business Insider" /><p class="source"><span>Dragan Radovanovic/Business Insider</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></span></span></span></p><p>Though unlikely, there is some cause for concern of Zika spreading in the US, as <a href="http://www.paho.org/hq/index.php?option=com_content&amp;view=article&amp;id=11605&amp;Itemid=0&amp;lang=en">the WHO has previously warned</a>. The mosquitos that can spread Zika are prevalent in many American states and thrive in tropical climates. This is why experts like Hotez have warned of it <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/zika-in-the-us-this-summer-2016-4">popping up in areas in the US</a> with wet lowlands, warm temperatures, and species of mosquito that can transmit the virus.</p><p>The first reported case of a traveler with Zika in the US was in Texas. Since then, travelers have tested positive for the Zika virus in New York, Los Angeles, and in several other countries outside the Americas.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/zika-virus-affecting-us-travelers-cdc-warns-2016-1">An untreatable virus that's linked to birth defects is now affecting the US</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="NhOWtiMDE6F54IhgaZAEgGteumGrwGr3" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'NhOWtiMDE6F54IhgaZAEgGteumGrwGr3',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

The US just had its first Zika death

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/56b3af1c5124c9355c8b4567-800/nicaragua-says-detects-zika-in-three-pregnant-women.jpg" alt="A female Aedes aegypti mosquito is seen on the forearm of a health technician in a laboratory conducting research on preventing the spread of the Zika virus and other mosquito-borne diseases, at the entomology department of the Ministry of Public Health in Guatemala City, February 4, 2016. REUTERS/Josue Decavele  " data-mce-source="Thomson Reuters" data-mce-caption="Female Aedes aegypti mosquito is seen on a forearm of a health technician in Guatemala City" /><p class="source"><span>Thomson Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">A female Aedes aegypti mosquito - the kind that spreads Zika.</p></div><p></p></div></div>Mosquitoes are the most obnoxious creatures on Earth. Not only do their bites <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-stop-a-mosquito-bite-from-itching-2016-5">itch like crazy</a>, but they can spread some devastating - and sometimes deadly - diseases.</p><p>The bugs are now <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/cases-of-likely-mosquito-transmitted-zika-in-florida-2016-8">spreading Zika locally in Miami</a>, so some Americans on the US mainland have to start worrying about that virus, too, in addition to the others mosquitoes spread (in varying degrees) here already: <a href="http://www.mosquito.org/mosquito-borne-diseases">dengue, chikungunya, and West Nile</a>.</p><p>While <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/how-far-will-zika-spread-in-america-2016-8">experts don't expect Zika to advance past the Gulf states</a>, it is still always good idea to protect yourself and your home from mosquitoes.</p><p>Luckily, the <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/zika/pdfs/zika-key-messages.pdf">US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has some specific steps</a> you can take to kill as many of the infuriating creatures as possible.</p><h2>To protect your home</h2><h3>Outside:</h3><ul><li>Eliminate as much standing water as you can. Mosquitoes can breed in just a thimble full of water, so it doesn't take much.</li><li>Once a week, empty and clean any containers that could hold water. This includes: tires, buckets, planters, toys, pools, birdbaths, flowerpot saucers, and garbages.</li><li>Cover any containers that could contain water if you can. If they don't have a cover, put wire mesh on them with holes smaller than 1/10 of an inch so adult mosquitoes can't fit inside.</li><li>If you have water that isn't for drinking and can't be dumped out, add a <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Summit-185502-20-Pack-Mosquito-Dunk/dp/B0002568YA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1470683085&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=mosquito+larvicide">larvicide</a> to kill young mosquitoes.</li><li>Spray an <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Cutter-Backyard-Control-Outdoor-Fogger/dp/B003BB5M12/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1470682103&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=outdoor+mosquito+spray">outdoor insect repellent</a> in the dark, humid areas where the pests rest, like under furniture.</li></ul><h3>Inside:</h3><ul><li>Use air conditioning.</li><li>If you open the windows, make sure you use screens that don't have holes in them.</li><li>Spray an <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Raid-Flying-Insect-Killer-Ounces/dp/B0035H6CGQ/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1470682028&amp;sr=8-3&amp;keywords=indoor+mosquito+spray+raid">indoor insect repellent</a> in dark, humid places where mosquitoes rest like under the sink, in closets, under furniture, and in the laundry room.</li></ul><h2><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5755cf6cdd08950b7b8b4685-1024/gettyimages-77206421.jpg" alt="bug spray mariano insects gnats" data-mce-source="Gregory Shamus/Getty Images" data-mce-caption="Catcher Jorge Posada #20 (L) of the New York Yankees sprays relief pitcher Mariano Rivera #42 with bug spray as gnats (insects) swarm around the pitchers mound (as well as the rest of the field) against the Cleveland Indians during Game Two of the American League Divisional Series at Jacobs Field on October 5, 2007 in Cleveland, Ohio." data-link="http://www.gettyimages.com/license/77206421" /><p class="source"><span><a href="http://www.gettyimages.com/license/77206421">Gregory Shamus/Getty Images</a></span></p><p class="caption">You're actually supposed to spray it on your hands and transfer it to your face.</p></div><p></p></div></div></h2><h2>To protect yourself</h2><ul><li><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/best-bug-spray-insect-repellents-2016-6">Use bug spray (here are the ones that actually work)</a> on skin not covered by clothes when you're outside where mosquitoes could be. The species that spread the Zika virus bite during the day.</li><li>Zika can be spread through sex, so use condoms if you're in an area where the virus is spreading or if you or your partner recently traveled to one.</li><li>Don't travel to areas where Zika is spreading, especially if you're pregnant or planning to be soon. The <a href="http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/page/zika-travel-information">CDC has a list of locations to avoid</a>.</li></ul><p>Most people who get Zika don't show the <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/zika/symptoms/symptoms.html">typical flu-like symptoms</a>, so it can be difficult to tell if you caught the virus. If you're not sure, it's best to see a doctor and get tested.</p><p>While the virus is often symptom-free and usually mild, it can also <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/cdc-officials-zika-scarier-than-thought-2016-4">cause birth defects like microcephaly</a> in babies and trigger immune diseases like <a href="http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/guillain-barre-syndrome/basics/definition/con-20025832">Guillain-Barre</a> syndrome in adults.</p><p>There is currently no vaccine or treatment, so the best way to protect yourself against Zika is to stop <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/identify-mosquitoes-diseases-zika-virus-2016-8">the mosquitoes that spread it</a> from biting you in the first place.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/kill-off-disease-spreading-mosquitoes-zika-virus-2016-1">Mosquitoes are the most dangerous creatures on Earth - should we kill them  all?</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="lpd3lodTpxXMq8NSPc-xe5q-zK106WUF" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'lpd3lodTpxXMq8NSPc-xe5q-zK106WUF',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

How to protect yourself from the mosquitoes that spread Zika and other viruses

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/56b4b7e72e526575008b517d-2000-1500/rtx24h3i.jpg" alt="Zika microcephaly" data-mce-source="Ueslei Marcelino/Reuters" data-mce-caption="Pietro Rafael, who has microcephaly, reacts to stimulus during an evaluation session with a physiotherapist at the Altino Ventura rehabilitation center in Recife, Brazil." /><p class="source"><span>Ueslei Marcelino/Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">Pietro Rafael, who has microcephaly, reacts to stimulus during an evaluation session with a physiotherapist at the Altino Ventura rehabilitation center in Recife, Brazil.</p></div><p></p></div></div>Scientists just found another piece of evidence that connects the untreatable Zika virus with a birth defect called microcephaly.</p><p>On Wednesday, researchers reported finding the virus in the amniotic fluid of two pregnant women whose fetuses were diagnosed with microcephaly.</p><p>In a <a href="http://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(16)00095-5/abstract">study in the Lancet Infectious Diseases journal</a>, the scientists said their finding suggests that the Zika virus can cross the placental barrier.</p><p><strong>But importantly, this evidence does not prove Zika causes microcephaly</strong>, the condition in which babies are born with abnormally small heads. More research is still needed to understand the link.</p><p>"This study cannot determine whether the Zika virus identified in these two cases was the cause of microcephaly in the babies," said Ana de Filippis, the doctor who led the study at the Oswaldo Cruz Institute in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. "Until we understand the biological mechanism linking Zika virus to microcephaly, we cannot be certain that one causes the other."</p><p>For the most part, only about 1 in 5 people with Zika ever <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/zika/symptoms/index.html">shows symptoms</a>, which most commonly include fever, rash, joint pain, and red eyes, though there have been cases of a temporary neurological disorder called <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=1&amp;cad=rja&amp;uact=8&amp;sqi=2&amp;ved=0ahUKEwiBiOPgmOHKAhUCdz4KHW-VBigQFggcMAA&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ninds.nih.gov%2Fdisorders%2Fgbs%2Fdetail_gbs.htm&amp;usg=AFQjCNHlimnCuuW-6oC_hPUkxMxUTM114g&amp;bvm=bv.113370389,d.cWw">Guillain-Barre Syndrome</a> associated with Zika. Zika is a mosquito-borne illness, meaning it passes from person to person via mosquito bite.</p><p>The World Health Organization has declared the Zika epidemic spreading from Brazil a global public health emergency and called for urgent studies to establish with its association with rising number of cases of suspected birth defects can be proven.</p><p>For this study, de Filippis' team investigated the cases of two women, aged 27 and 35, from Paraiba in northeastern Brazil.</p><p>The women had symptoms of Zika infection - including fever, muscle pain and a rash - during their first trimester of pregnancy. Ultrasounds taken at approximately 22 weeks of pregnancy confirmed the fetuses had microcephaly.</p><p>The researchers took and analyzed samples of amniotic fluid at 28 weeks of pregnancy. While the women's blood and urine samples tested negative for Zika, their amniotic fluid tested positive for the virus genome and for Zika antibodies. That suggests that the virus could cross the placental barrier and possibly infect the fetus. </p><p>Babies born with microcephaly are at risk of incomplete brain development, which can <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/brazillian-babies-with-microcephaly-show-eye-problems-2016-2">lead to other complications</a>.</p><p>The condition has previously been linked to a range of factors including genetic disorders, drug or chemical intoxication, maternal malnutrition and infections with viruses or bacteria that can cross the placental barrier such as herpes, HIV, or other mosquito-borne viruses such as chikungunya. </p><p>Jimmy Whitworth, a Zika expert and professor of international public health at the London School of Hygiene &amp; Tropical Medicine, said the findings "strengthen the body of evidence" pointing to Zika as a cause of microcephaly in Brazil, though it only shows association, not causation.</p><p>The best way to prevent infection is to avoid being bitten by the mosquitoes that transmit the disease, by either avoiding <keyword id="6354692" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Travel">travel</keyword> to areas where the virus is being transmitted or wearing long clothes and using mosquito repellent.</p><p><em>(Reuters reporting by Kate Kelland)</em></p>

Scientists just found another critical piece of evidence that links Zika to a disturbing birth defect

<img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5e94a7310b3c9b6cb6024313-2400/2019-12-05t125534z1lynxmpefb411prtroptp4health-ebola-vaccine.jpg" alt="FILE PHOTO: A health worker fills a syringe with Ebola vaccine before injecting it to a patient, in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, August 5, 2019. REUTERS/Baz Ratner" /><p class="source"><span>Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">A health worker fills a syringe with Ebola vaccine.</p><ul class="summary-list"><li>The idea of having a coronavirus vaccine ready within 18 months has been widely accepted by many federal officials and lawmakers, as well as investors.</li><li>But one top Wall Street biotech analyst told Business Insider that he is "deeply skeptical" about this timeline.</li><li>SVB Leerink analyst Geoffrey Porges sees a less than 20% chance that we will have a widely available vaccine that is proven effective in 2021.</li><li>Porges said no one has given a detailed timeline that tackles all the testing, regulatory, and manufacturing challenges facing a vaccine candidate.</li><li>"No one's done all those pieces and then said 18 months," Porges said. "They've just effectively taken Tony Fauci's 'not for 18 months' and that's become gospel."</li><li>Porges has covered the industry for nearly two decades and previously worked in the vaccine business for one of the world's largest drugmakers.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul><p>It'll likely take a vaccine for life to get back to 'normal' after the coronavirus pandemic.</p><p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-vaccine-timeline-what-to-watch-leading-research-2020-3">Dozens of research programs</a> are now underway to develop a vaccine for this crisis. Vaccines have historically faced costly, multiyear development timelines, but there's widespread optimism that the urgency of this pandemic will speed up the process this time.</p><p>Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has repeatedly stated it will take at least a year to 18 months to make a vaccine available.</p><p>"Ultimately, the answer is going to be a vaccine he <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0cYneu-hlc&amp;feature=youtu.be">said in a recent interview.</a> </p><p>That timetable may sound cautious, but it's actually optimistic by historical standards. And one top Wall Street biotech analyst, who used to work in the vaccines business, is "deeply skeptical "of this 18-month timeline. </p><p>Geoffrey Porges, an analyst at SVB Leerink, told Business Insider he predicts a less than 20% chance we have an effective, widely available vaccine in 2021. </p><p>Porges has covered the biotech industry for 18 years for various research firms. Before that, he worked in the drug industry on vaccines, spending six years in the vaccine unit of Merck, one of the world's largest drugmakers. He also has a medical degree from the University of Sydney.</p><p>Porges said no one has laid out a detailed timeline of all the testing, manufacturing, and regulatory hurdles that come before we can have a coronavirus vaccine that's widely available. </p><p>"No one's done all those pieces and then said 18 months," Porges said. "They've just effectively taken Tony Fauci's 'not for 18 months' and that's become gospel."</p><p>"There is now a gospel around vaccines that the market, the economy and policymakers are reliant on, and there is just no substance to it," he added.</p><p><em><strong>Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wuhan-coronavirus-treatments-vaccine-jj-regeneron-gilead-2020-2">The US is sprinting to develop a coronavirus vaccine or treatment. Here's how 19 top drugmakers are racing to tackle the pandemic.</a></strong></em></p><p>Other prominent leaders have echoed Fauci's timeline. Melinda Gates said <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/melinda-gates-coronavirus-interview-vaccine-timeline-2020-4">there's a "high likelihood"</a> that we have a vaccine in 18 months. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/13/coronavirus-cuomo-says-ultimate-resolution-will-be-vaccine-in-18-months.html">has also stated a vaccine is 18 months away</a>.</p><p>But people with in-depth experience of developing vaccines are more skeptical of that timeline.</p><p>Dr. Paul Offit, who helped invent the rotavirus vaccine, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/31/us/coronavirus-vaccine-timetable-concerns-experts-invs/index.html">told CNN</a> that timeline is "ridiculously optimistic." Peter Hotez, dean of Baylor University's National School of Tropical Medicine, <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2020/04/why-coronavirus-vaccine-could-take-way-longer-than-a-year/#close">told National Geographic</a> the 18-month timeline "would be absolutely unprecedented."</p><h2>We still don't know a lot about this virus, leaving vaccine developers to take 'shots in the dark'</h2><p>Porges predicted there is less than a 20% chance there is a widely available vaccine proven to be effective in 2021. Even by 2023, he estimates the likelihood of achieving that to a coin toss, or 50%.</p><p>Vaccine efforts are like shots in the dark against this virus, he said, emphasizing how much we still don't know about this novel coronavirus.</p><p>The critical unknowns are focused on the body's reaction to being infected with the virus. The body responds to the virus by making antibodies, which are proteins crafted to fight it off.</p><p>Understanding how the body's immune system responds to the virus is important to the effort to craft a vaccine, because the vaccine will likely work by triggering these same immune responses, without causing an infection. If the virus doesn't trigger the production of long-lasting antibodies, it may be difficult to craft a vaccine, for example.</p><p>We need to better understand how robust the immune response is, how protective it is against reinfection, and how long-lasting this protection is, Porges said.</p><p>"In the case of this coronavirus, the answer to all of those questions right now is we don't know," he said, adding that research is now "narrowing the bounds of uncertainty" on the answers.</p><p>The immune response to the virus seems to track with the severity of the disease. As Porges put it simply, an emerging theory is that asymptomatic or mild cases of COVID-19 generate bad immunity, while severe disease brings good immunity.</p><p>A <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.03.30.20047365v1">small study from China</a> found nearly one-third of people who recovered from mild infections had low or undetectable levels of antibodies. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/study-recovered-coronavirus-patients-antibodies-2020-4">About 6%</a> had no detectable antibodies in their systems. </p><p>"The immune response to this virus is squishy," he said. "It's not robust."</p><p>It's also unclear if having these antibodies even protects people. China and Japan have both reported COVID-19 patients that have been discharged after recovering and subsequently tested positive. A <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2764366?resultClick=1">recent overview in the Journal of the American Medical Association</a> said "the evidence on reinfection is evolving," cautioning those reports may be false positives.</p><p>Finally, how long this antibody protection lasts may be the biggest black box for this virus. Porges put it bluntly: "We have no idea."</p><p>Other coronaviruses have shown a wide range in lasting immunity. Seasonal coronaviruses, responsible for common colds, generate antibodies that bring immunity for months, instead of years. But the 2002-2003 SARS outbreak generated a durable immune response that lasted for years. </p><p>"My instinct is it is likely to be durable if you've had significant infection," he said.</p><h2>An effective vaccine still faces a massive distribution challenge in addressing a pandemic</h2><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5e3b401ee35bab6f252f64ab-2400/2019-12-05t180720z1lynxmpefb41ljrtroptp4health-measles-ukraine.jpg" alt="FILE PHOTO: A nurse fills a syringe with a vaccine before administering an injection at a children's clinic in Kiev, Ukraine August 14, 2019.  REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko" /><p class="source"><span>Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">A nurse fills a syringe with a vaccine before administering an injection at a children's clinic in Kiev</p><p>Large-scale clinical testing will figure out if a vaccine works. Typically, these trials take years, but researchers are now working to devise ways to shorten the process. </p><p>Even if the testing determines a vaccine is safe and effective, the next problem is manufacturing enough product for a pandemic.</p><p>"The idea of producing billions is a challenge," said David Weiner, the director of the Wistar Institute's vaccine and immunotherapy center and a longtime vaccine developer. </p><p>Weiner is a cofounder and board member of Inovio Pharmaceuticals, which is <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/inovio-coronavirus-vaccine-trial-starts-in-philadelphia-kansas-city-2020-4">now testing a coronavirus vaccine in humans</a>. He argued that mass manufacturing has to start being ramped up now to meet the 18-month timeline.</p><p>"If you want to have that possibility, then that production has to to be funded now," he said.</p><p>That echoes what Bill Gates <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bill-gates-factories-7-different-vaccines-to-fight-coronavirus-2020-4">recently outlined</a>: the need to build manufacturing plants for multiple vaccine candidates, knowing several of those facilities likely won't be used. The sunk cost is worth it, Gates said, in order to be prepared.</p><p>Gates' foundation is funding several vaccine efforts, including Inovio's. But it remains to be seen how these companies will raise the billions of dollars needed to all scale up manufacturing.</p><h2>It's possible that the coronavirus could be 'just too hard to vaccinate against'</h2><p>There are lots of diseases that take massive tolls on society and don't have vaccines. Many of them are RNA viruses, just like the novel coronavirus.</p><p>"It's not a foregone conclusion we will have an effective vaccine," Porges said, later adding that "each one of these vaccines is a shot in the dark." </p><p>Weiner pointed out that other RNA viruses like HIV and Hepatitis C are extremely variable pathogens. In contrast, this coronavirus has been slow to mutate, increasing the chances we can come up with a workable vaccine, he said.</p><p>There's also the potential that a vaccine doesn't prevent infections but could lower the risk of developing severe disease. This mixed efficacy would be similar to the flu vaccine. </p><p>"If it doesn't prevent for infection, and it still prevents for serious disease, it's still very valuable," Johnson &amp; Johnson Chief Scientific Officer Paul Stoffels <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jj-coronavirus-vaccine-interview-timetable-testing-manufacturing-2020-3">said in a recent interview with Business Insider</a>.</p><p><em><strong>Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/list-coronavirus-treatments-tested-in-clinical-trials-2020-4">Here are the 15 leading coronavirus treatments already being tested in COVID-19 patients, and the major trials now underway to see if they work</a><br /></strong></em></p><h2>Vaccine data will start to trickle in, although Porges questions the significance</h2><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5e94b25a29d6d907b3335235-2400/ap20076600307571.jpg" alt="coronavirus vaccine trial participant clinical" /><p class="source"><span>Ted S. Warren/Associated Press</span></p><p class="caption">A pharmacist gives Jennifer Haller, left, the first shot in the first-stage safety study clinical trial of a potential vaccine for COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, Monday, March 16, 2020, at the Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute in Seattle.</p><p>Even with these challenges, vaccine efforts are moving ahead at record speed. The upstart biotech Moderna leads the early race, having started dosing healthy volunteers with an experimental vaccine about a month ago. </p><p>Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-vaccine-moderna-timeline-for-trials-emergency-use-2020-4">outlined a development strategy</a> to be prepared to deploy its vaccine in an emergency use situation this fall. </p><p>Porges said he's skeptical of that timeline, particularly in the ability to generate convincing data by then on whether the vaccine works.</p><p>Moderna plans to have safety data from its small initial study later this spring. That will help the company design a subsequent larger trial that would help show if the vaccine is activating people's immune systems.</p><p>In that case, Porges wondered what it will mean if the mid-stage study shows the vaccine produced a level of neutralizing antibodies in people. Porges said we still don't know how well that correlates with protection.</p><p>"In the absence of that clinical correlation, if we release this into society and give it to thousands who are desperate, do they say, 'I'm protected?' he said. "Or do they just say 'I've got neutralizing antibody?' Until you establish a correlation between a level of antibody and clinical protection, you're just creating a mess." </p><p>Some may wonder why all this matters, given the urgency of the pandemic. Why not just give people the best chance we have at protection? But the history of vaccines shows why the regulatory path is a long and difficult one. </p><p>Vaccines face a particularly high safety bar because they're widely distributed to healthy people.</p><p>Safety problems are littered through vaccine history. These are legitimate, unlike <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/study-shows-no-link-between-vaccines-and-autism-2019-3">the debunked theory of vaccines causing autism</a>, for instance, that have driven an anti-vaccine movement. </p><p>In the 1950s, several thousand children were given a potential polio vaccine that <a href="https://www.aamc.org/news-insights/here-s-why-we-can-t-rush-covid-19-vaccine">accidentally contained the live virus, paralyzing some of the kids</a>. In the 1970s, a mass vaccination against the swine flu was stopped early, but not before <a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/long-shadow-1976-swine-flu-vaccine-fiasco-180961994/">several hundred people developed a rare neurological disorder</a> called Guillain-Barre syndrome. </p><p>Even in 2009, several European countries used an H1N1 flu vaccine that was later found <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/concerns/history/narcolepsy-flu.html">to increase the risk of narcolepsy</a>, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.</p><p>Rigorous clinical testing will help lower the risk of a similar situation happening with a coronavirus vaccine. But that testing requires time, which may stretch beyond an 18-month timeline.</p><p class="tagline"><a href="/intelligence/digital-health?IR=T&amp;itm_source=businessinsider&amp;itm_medium=ctgr_bii&amp;itm_term=ctgr_subscription&amp;itm_content=health&amp;itm_campaign=digital-health"><img src="https://static.businessinsider.com/image/5cf6b11111e205471c5718a4" alt="Digital Health Pro" style="width: 100% !important" /></a><br /><br />Featured Health Articles:<br />- <a href="/telehealth-industry-explained">Telehealth Industry Explained</a><br />- <a href="/value-based-care-pay-for-performance-healthcare-model">Value-Based Care Explained</a><br />- <a href="/senior-care-market-trends">Senior Care &amp; Assisted Living Market</a><br />- <a href="/wearable-technology-healthcare-medical-devices">Smart Medical Devices &amp; Wearable Tech</a><br />- <a href="/artificial-intelligence-healthcare">AI in Healthcare</a><br />- <a href="/remote-patient-monitoring-industry-explained">Remote Patient Monitoring Explained</a>- <a href="/ai-medical-diagnosis-report">AI in Medical Diagnosis Systems</a></p>            <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-vaccine-development-timeline-moderna-2020-3">Drugmakers are developing coronavirus vaccines in record time - but it will still be months before one is available</a></h3>                    <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/AkNVpKS2-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;"></iframe>            

A top Wall Street analyst sees less than a 20% chance of having a widely available coronavirus vaccine in 2021 - he told us why he's 'deeply skeptical' of Anthony Fauci's 18-month timeline

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5772b34688e4a7da328b4656-721/2016-06-27t202625z_1_lynxnpec5q1o2_rtroptp_3_health-zika-who.jpg" alt="2016 06 27T202625Z_1_LYNXNPEC5Q1O2_RTROPTP_3_HEALTH ZIKA WHO.JPG" data-mce-source="REUTERS/Paulo Whitaker/File Photo" data-mce-caption="Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are seen inside Oxitec laboratory in Campinas, Brazil, February 2, 2016." /><p class="source"><span>REUTERS/Paulo Whitaker/File Photo</span></p><p class="caption">Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are seen inside Oxitec laboratory in Campinas, Brazil, February 2, 2016.</p></div><p></p></div></div>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers deadlocked over funding to fight the Zika virus on Tuesday, as Senate Democrats blocked a Republican proposal they said fell short of the challenge posed by the mosquito-borne virus and hurt other health priorities.</p><p>Amid political recriminations by both parties, the Republican plan to provide $1.1 billion in funding to combat Zika, which had already passed the House of Representatives, failed to get the 60 votes needed in the Senate to clear a procedural hurdle. The vote was 52 in favor and 48 against on a mostly party-line vote.</p><p>It was unclear when Congress would revisit the issue. Democrats urged bipartisan talks, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican, said lawmakers would address the matter again sometime after the July 4 national holiday next week.</p><p>Both sides warned the other that there could be a political price to pay in an election year for stalling on Zika funding, with the summer mosquito season under way and with it the threat of the virus spreading.</p><p>"Here we are, in an utterly absurd position, playing political games as this public health crisis mounts here in our country," McConnell said.</p><p>The Zika virus, which has swept through the Americas and Caribbean since last fall, has been linked to thousands of cases of microcephaly, a rare birth defect, in Brazil, as well as to neurological disorders. It has been declared a global health emergency by the World Health Organization.</p><p>There have not yet been any cases reported of local transmission of the Zika virus in the continental United States, but there have been 820 cases that were acquired from travel to areas with active Zika outbreaks, or through sexual transmission. There have been more than 1,800 cases of Zika infection reported in Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory in the Caribbean.</p><p>Health experts expect local transmission to occur in the continental United States with warmer weather.</p><p>Democrats have been urging Republicans for months to agree to Zika funding. The Republican plan would have funded mosquito control efforts by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, as well as vaccine research by the National Institutes of Health, and money for community health centers in areas that are experiencing the highest rates of Zika transmission.</p><p>But Democrats complained that Republicans locked them out of drafting the $1.1 billion funding plan, which would have made $750 million in budget cuts elsewhere. The Republican plan, rushed through the House last week, would have taken money from battling the Ebola virus as well as from funds set aside for implementing the Obamacare health insurance program in U.S. territories.</p><p>The Senate last month agreed to a bipartisan bill allocating the same amount - $1.1 billion - to fight Zika, but without cutting any other programs.</p><p><strong>DISPUTE OVER PLANNED PARENTHOOD</strong></p><p>Democrats were especially angry that the Republican proposal that failed on Tuesday would not allow funding to go to private entities such as the women's healthcare provider Planned Parenthood, although the Zika virus can be sexually transmitted.</p><p>"I don't know what universe (McConnell) is living in. What does he think, we're all stupid, the American people are dumb? They're not. They understand what's going here," Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid declared after the vote.</p><p>President Barack Obama, a Democrat, had vowed to veto the plan, which falls short of his $1.9 billion request, if it ever arrived on his desk.</p><p>Republicans charged that the Democrats were blocking the measure mainly because it included no funding for Planned Parenthood, a non-profit group that Democrats and Republicans have been skirmishing over for years. It provides health exams, screening and contraception services to women.</p><p>Republicans have previously sought to cut off all federal funding to the group, which also provides abortions. Planned Parenthood says abortions make up just three percent of its work.</p><p>Republican Senator John Thune, referring to Planned Parenthood, charged on Monday that Democrats were more interested in pleasing a what he called a special interest group than in acting on Zika.</p><p>U.S. health officials have concluded that Zika infections in pregnant women can cause microcephaly, a birth defect marked by small head size that can lead to severe developmental problems in babies. The WHO has said there is strong scientific consensus that Zika can also cause Guillain-Barre, a rare neurological syndrome that causes temporary paralysis in adults.</p><p>(Additional reporting by Susan Heavey and David Morgan; Editing by Bill Trott and Frances Kerry)</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/exercise-six-pack-abs-workout-2016-6">An exercise scientist reveals how to get six-pack abs</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="VpazNiNDE63KBq5y6Gwk_Op1wXaaHQeK" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'VpazNiNDE63KBq5y6Gwk_Op1wXaaHQeK',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

You Searched For "guillain barre" and got 9 results

Birth defects and nervous system disorders rose abruptly in Brazil after the arrival of Zika

Lydia Ramsey

Everything you need to know about Zika-the deadliest virus around

Usha Rani Das

Texas reports the first case of Zika that likely came from local mosquitoes

Rebecca Harrington

Scientists just discovered a disturbing new defect associated with the untreatable Zika virus

Lydia Ramsey

The US just had its first Zika death

Erin Brodwin

How to protect yourself from the mosquitoes that spread Zika and other viruses

Rebecca Harrington

Scientists just found another critical piece of evidence that links Zika to a disturbing birth defect

Lydia Ramsey,Reuters

A top Wall Street analyst sees less than a 20% chance of having a widely available coronavirus vaccine in 2021 - he told us why he's 'deeply skeptical' of Anthony Fauci's 18-month timeline

Andrew Dunn

Lawmakers deadlock on agreeing funds to fight Zika virus

Reuters