GENEVA - The Zika virus strain linked to surging cases of neurological disorders and birth defects in Latin America has for the first time been found in Africa, the World Health Organization said Friday.
Aedes aegypti mosquitoes carry the Zika virus, that can cause birth defects if contracted by a woman during pregnancy
The UN health agency announced that the Zika virus strain circulating in Cape Verde had been shown to be the same as the one behind an explosion of cases in the Americas.
"This is the first time that the Zika strain responsible for the outbreaks linked to neurological disorders and microcepaly has been detected in Africa," Matshidiso Moeti, WHO's Africa regional chief, told reporters in Geneva.