Researchers have just created the most detailed three-dimensional image of the Zika virus ever seen!
Why is this important?
Zika is still posing as a serious problem in world, especially for women who are pregnant or waning to become pregnant. The virus can cause serious neurological damage and microcephaly (small head and underdeveloped brain) in babies if a woman is infected with the virus while she is pregnant.
Women who are pregnant or planning on becoming pregnant, along with their partners are being strongly advised to refrain from visiting countries and areas that are at an increased risk for Zika transmission.
Researchers are still trying desperately to find a way to fight this virus and gaining a better understanding on the structure of the Zika virus will help laboratories develop vaccines or anti-viral drugs.
By creating a highly accurate three-dimensional model of the Zika virus, researchers have been able to reveal possible parts of the virus that might be considered vulnerable. By identifying these vulnerable parts of the virus, it would then be possible to design a vaccine and engineer anti-viral compounds that could potentially inhibit the virus.
