Zika will no longer be scary if this research succeeds

Since the beginning of 2016, Zika virus outbreaks have been booming in the Americas, Europe and spread to more than 70 countries and territories. Zika virus is especially dangerous because it causes small head in babies - a child born with a brain is very small, and often has little chance of surviving.

Zika virus is difficult to prevent because it spreads through an intermediate host, Aedes mosquito .

Recently, experts from Yale University have found two antiviral drugs: 2'-C-methyladenosin and Sofosbuvir which can prevent replication of Zika virus cells based on an extremely important mechanism in Zika affects the infant's brain.

These are the two drugs that can stop the formation of small head inside the pregnancy. They are not a way to "cure" Zika, but a way for pregnant women to be infected with Zika to avoid birth defects.

According to Marco Onorati - researcher: " We still need methods to prevent virus infection, especially for pregnant women. But in the meantime, we hope that this study can minimize damage. caused by virus ".

Mosquitoes are intermediate hosts that transmit Zika

Experiments on a fetus infected with Zila virus, the team has discovered that Zika can lead to microcephaly. Vius Zika has prevented the formation of TBK1 protein - which stimulates cell division during brain development. Without TBK1, brain cells will die instead of growing up.

However, there are still many tests that need to be done so that both are allowed to apply to pregnant women, since both have not been tested enough. Anyway, this result also brought great hope for mankind, in the fight against the Zika pandemic.

The study is published in Cell Reports.