Scientists successfully sequence Zika virus genome; confirm it causes microcephaly

Brazilian scientists have successfully sequenced the genome of the Zika virus, confirming that it causes microcephaly in the process, according to the state media outlet Agencia Brasil.
The research team, from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), sequenced Zika viruses found in the amniotic fluid of pregnant women who tested positive for the disease and in the brains of fetuses with microcephaly. The team said their work should explain the unusual behavior of the virus.
“What we know now may help us understand why the virus has chosen children’s brain cells over those of adults—the pregnant women,” said team member Renato Santana.
Brazils’ official health ministry said most of women who gave birth to babies diagnosed with “microcephaly and/or changes in the central nervous system suggesting congenital infection” had the virus. The Brazilian scientists said they are looking into the possibility the Zika virus can cause other types of developmental problems.
The Zika virus only causes symptoms in about one-fifth of those who are infected. The major concern associated with the virus, however, is that it causes microcephaly, where babies are born with small heads and impaired cognitive abilities.
The virus is thought to have originated in Africa and spread to South America, where a lack of exposure to it has led to a pandemic. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has counted 27 countries or territories in the Western Hemisphere with active transmission of the Zika virus.
Colombia has seen a sharp rise in the amount of Zika cases, which now number greater than 37,000, cases, Colombian officials said. There are nearly 6,400 pregnant women who are among the overall quantity of Zika cases, now standing at more than 37,000, Colombia’s National Institute of Health said in a press release. A minimum of 30,000 cases have been validated through clinical and laboratory tests. Last week, there were nearly 5,000 new reported cases, according to government officials.
The Brazilian Ministry of Health has reported that country’s amount of Zika cases as between 490,000 and nearly 1.5 million, The World Health Organization said Brazilian officials have stopped counting new cases of the Zika virus.
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