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There is a link between the Zika virus and Guillain-Barre syndrome. A small number of people who have been infected with the Zika virus have developed Guillain-Barre, in which the immune system attacks nerve cells, leading to weakness and sometimes paralysis.
A study has linked the Zika virus -- a mosquito-carried disease -- to Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), a disease of the nervous system that can cause muscle weakness or temporary paralysis. Guillain-Barré syndrome is an autoimmune disease in which the person’s own immune system attacks nerve cells in the arms, legs and other areas of the body. Guillain-Barré syndrome can affect all age groups, especially men over the age of 50. International experts continue to explore the link between Zika and other conditions, including Guillain-Barré syndrome.
Continue Learning about Zika Virus
Zika Virus
Zika virus is a tropical disease that is spread by Aedes species of mosquitoes. Until 2015, the virus was limited to small outbreaks in regions of Africa, Asia and the Pacific Islands. Mosquitoes can pick up the virus by biting an ...
n infected person, and then transmit it to someone else they bite later. The virus doesn’t generally spread from person to person directly, though sexual transmission is possible.
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