蜜芽传媒

Zika virus disease is usually relatively mild and requires no specific treatment, but the mosquito-borne virus is linked to a neurological disorder called microcephaly, which leads to serious birth defects: a smaller brain, a shrunken head and a lifetime of intellectual disability. It is on the rise in Latin America, with Brazil the worst affected country with almost 4,000 suspected cases of microcephaly reported since October. Cases of Zika virus have also been reported in El Salvador, Mexico and the United States. Dr Kamran Khan is an infectious disease specialist at St Michael's hospital, Toronto.

Picture shows Dejailson Arruda holding his daughter Luiza at home in Brazil. Her mother was infected with the Zika virus via a mosquito bite during pregnancy and Luiza was born with microcephaly. (Credit: AP Photo/Felipe Dana)