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Sexual transmission of the Zika virus is more common , WHO

After an emergency committee meeting on Tuesday, the UN health agency also said there was increasing evidence of links between Zika and various birth defects. Zika is most commonly spread by mosquitoes but several countries have reported cases of sexual transmission. The WHO last month said the outbreak constitutes a global emergency. WHO Director General Dr Margaret Chan said "reports and investigations in several countries strongly suggest that sexual transmission of the virus is more common than previously assumed". She called the development "alarming". Dr Chan also said that microcephaly - a birth defect strongly linked to the Zika outbreak in Brazil - was just one of several conditions that the WHO had linked to Another is Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS). Nine countries have now reported an increase in cases of GBS, a rare condition that can cause temporary paralysis and death. Dr Chan said problems linked to Zika were now being seen not ...

Study shows Zika 'might cause' Guillain-Barré syndrome

The study was carried out using blood samples from 42 patients who became ill in a previous outbreak. The Lancet authors say they developed the neurological problems around six days after Zika infection. Leading scientists described the study as "compelling". Zika was declared a public health emergency of international concern by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in early February. The virus, which is transmitted by mosquitoes, has caused alarm in central and south America because of its suspected links to under-developed brains in babies - a condition called microcephaly. But experts have also questioned whether Zika might be linked to another medical condition as well. Guillain-Barré syndrome leads to muscle weakness and, in severe cases, breathing problems requiring intensive care. It is a rare response to infection, which sees the immune system attacking peripheral nerves.Researchers analysed the blood of patients who developed the diso...

Pregnant Queensland woman tests positive zika

The woman had recently returned from an overseas trip, said Queensland Health, but gave no further details. She was diagnosed on Tuesday. It is Australia's third case of Zika, following two people in Queensland who also caught it abroad. Zika has been linked to a condition called microcephaly, in which babies are born with underdeveloped brains. An international health emergency has been declared by the World Health Organization over the virus, which has spread rapidly in South and Central America, as well as the Caribbean. Brazil has been particularly badly affected, prompting concern about its hosting of this summer's Olympics. While the mosquito-borne disease is a concern for women who are, or may become, pregnant, most other sufferers experience only mild symptoms, such as fevers and skin rashes.

A new stronger flu vaccine will be introduced in Australia in 2016

The vaccine will cover four flu strains, instead of the usual three, including two influenza B strains. There were 90,000 cases of flu in Australia during their 2015 winter - 25,000 more than the previous year. The UK's vaccine for adults protects against three strains, as recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). It sets out which strains of the virus should be included in flu vaccines in advance of the season for the condition. which in the northern hemisphere happens each February. During Australia's recent winter, most of the flu cases were thought to have been caused by circulating influenza B strains. As a result, the new vaccine will include both the Brisbane and Phuket B strains of the flu virus. Australian Health Minister Sussan Ley said the move to a "quadrivalent" vaccine would mean the best possible protection would be available free to the people who most needed it. In the UK, the flu vaccine used last winter had an unu...