Science
Zika Virus in Babies Poses Ethical, Health Challenges for Society
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For years, the Zika virus was thought to be a mild virus. Yet with recent confirmation that the Zika virus is causing alarming numbers of birth defects and neurological problems in Central and South America, the pandemic has shaped up to be a major public health and ethical challenge. Zika is a flavivirus, a type of virus related to dengue, west nile virus, and yellow fever. Like its cousins, Zika spreads rapidly through a population. According to Prof. Laura Harrington, entomology, one of the major barriers to controlling the virus is that it is transmitted by “container-breeding mosquitoes”.