Zika virus discovered in neighbouring Tanzania

The Zika virus has now been discovered in Tanzania, the country’s National Institute of Research on Human Diseases has said.

According to the director of the research institute Dr. Mele Malecela, out of the 533 Tanzanians tested, 15.6 per cent have contracted the disease.

The insitute further revealed that the virus has been found in Morogoro and eastern Geita Region in northwestern Tanzania.

According to research, six per cent of babies born to women with possible Zika infection during pregnancy are affected by birth defects.

The defects included microcephaly, a neurological condition in which a baby’s skull and brain are undersized, which can lead to severe developmental problems.