This view is about to change. According to US scientists,
The harmful virus that can cause devastating brain damage in babies could offer up a surprising new treatment for adult brain cancer.
Latest research shows the virus can selectively infect and kill hard-to-treat cancerous cells in adult brains.
Zika injections shrank aggressive tumours in fully grown mice, yet left other brain cells unscathed.
Human trials are still a way off, but experts believe Zika virus could potentially be injected into the brain at the same time as surgery to remove life-threatening tumours, the Journal of Experimental Medicine reports.
The Zika treatment appears to work on human cell samples in the lab.
ABOUT ZIKA VIRUS:
Zika is a virus people can catch if they are bitten by an infected mosquito
• Most people will have few or no symptoms, but the disease can pose a serious threat to babies in the womb
• Affected infants have been born with abnormally small heads and underdeveloped brains - a condition known as microcephaly
• The infection has been linked to severe birth defects in almost 30 countries
• Although Zika is no longer "an international medical emergency", the World Health Organization says it is closely monitoring the infection
Source: BBC
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