The Zika virus, a flavivirus, has been making headlines around the world. This is due to the exponential rise in cases from the start of 2016 and the spread of the virus northwards by mosquitoes (the disease is transmitted by mosquito bite). In most people the virus causes no obvious ill-effects; in one out of four people, there is a mild fever and no ongoing complications. However, women who are pregnant experience greater risks.
The fetuses of pregnant women appear to be at risk from the viral infection. This is because the disease is associated with fetal and newborn microcephaly (a reduced and misshaped brain.)
In addition the disease may pose a risk of potential neurological complications in a low number of people. This possibly includes Guillain-Barré syndrome (which is a rapid-onset muscle weakness caused by the immune system damaging the peripheral nervous system.)
According to Bioscience Technology, Google is set to donate $1 million to help fight the spread of the Zika virus. The money, which is coming from Google’s parent company Alphabet, is ring-fenced for engineers and data scientists to use for work to help to determine where the disease will strike next. At the same time, Google researchers are building a platform designed to process data on things like weather and travel patterns to predict potential outbreaks. The company hope the platform can be used to help governments to decide where best to focus resources.
The donation will be administered by the United Nations.While the donation seems like a large sum, Google made $6.8 billion in profit in the last quarter alone.
Google says the term “Zika,” when typed into search engines, has increased over 3,000 percent since November.
In related news, due to the global health concerns regarding the Zika virus the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued guidance for blood donation collection. The FDA recommends that donors at risk for the virus defer donations for four weeks. With regard to plasma (blood) products, the FDA does not consider these to be at risk. This is due to the viral inactivation steps that are currently in place.
