It has been two years since the Zika crisis has occurred,
when it finally reached South America after originated from Uganda. The
outbreak caused abnormal birth defects on infants such as microcephaly (abnormally
small heads) and scared many citizens worldwide. However, Zika has been known
for more than half a century (1947) to
be a relatively harmless virus, so many scientists have been mystified by why
it had come to pose such a dangerous threat these past two years.
The answer was found by a group of Chinese scientists who
discovered that a small mutation in Zika’s genetic makeup made the virus more
dangerous. This small mutation change was due to a single amino acid change
from asparagine to serine, which created a more lethal strain of Zika. This
discovery could possibly lead in aiding the development of a vaccine for the
Zika virus. This is extremely important because experts say that the virus
could return in the future and cause another big outbreak. Currently, five to
six vaccines are already in human trials but because Zika has become less
active this past year, it has been difficult to find an effective vaccine.
According to Anthony Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and
Infectious Disease, one of the biggest priorities is to develop a vaccine
because viruses like Zika don’t usually disappear, but cause another outbreak
in a few years.
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Jessica Ngo
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