Zika Virus is spread primarily through the bite of infected misquotes.
For many people the most common symptoms of the virus are rash, red eyes, and joint pain.
Because the symptoms are not “serious” for many people who are infected, a trip to the hospital or doctor’s office is not in their schedule.
With that said, the virus has been in the news a lot recently with the World Health Organization declaring Zika Virus a public health emergency of international concern in February of 2016.
The areas in the world which have been hit hard with the virus are areas in Brazil, areas in Latin America, and other Caribbean nations.
Concern about the virus grew as medical professionals discovered that an infected woman who is pregnant can pass Zika Virus to her baby during her pregnancy or during her delivery.
The study published in Cell Stem Cell looked to identify where Zika Virus targets the damage to a fetus’ brain.
Based on news reports, the virus targets and damages important brain cells, doing damage similar to what is seen in microcephaly.
Microcephaly is a type of birth brain condition in which a fetus’ brain does not develop like normal brains.
Parents of children with microcephaly will normally see that their child’s head is small in nature and is not developing at the same rate of other children.
Research at this time has not concluded that Zika Virus causes microcephaly in fetuses.
More studies and tests will need to be performed to determine whether Zika Virus actually causes microcephaly in a fetus’ brain.
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