This awful disease has proven resilient to all of our efforts to distinguish its flame. However, with this new found development, I am beginning to wonder how long this vicious enemy of mankind can keep up its winning streak! Find out more by reading on!

Zika Virus, ever heard of it? No? Well, with its first outbreak in 1947, this deadly pathogen has decided to roam freely on our planet’s surface again! What is this virus, do I hear you ask? Well here I am to explain! The Zika Virus is primarily spread through the bite of a mosquito. Note that only female mosquitoes bite. Now, this can sound quite similar to the other deadly killer spread by mosquitoes, Malaria. They are in fact both spread by female mosquitoes, but the difference being the species/genus. Whilst Malaria is spread through the Anopheles genus, Zika is spread through the Aedes species of Mosquito. What does it do? Well the most common symptoms of Zika are fever, rash, joint pain and conjunctivitis (red eyes). The illness is usually quite mild – it is very rare that people will need to be admitted to hospital if they have contracted the disease. Therefore, it is quite easy to miss and some may not even realise they have been infected. Anyway, onto the real story! After years of research, stress and more stress, researchers in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, believe they may have found a temporary solution to slowing or even stopping the spread of Zika!

Billboard in Brazil reading: “This billboard kills hundereds of zika mosquitoes everyday.”

Say hello to the newest invention, Sweaty Billboards! Sounds quite grim, doesn’t it? Well two of these magnificent things, as seen to the right, have already been implemented by the designing company into Rio its self and it’s proving to be a magnificent thing. A billboard? Sweaty? Prevents viruses? Surely not, Matt! Well it surely is my friend! This latest innovation mimics the smell of human sweat and breath! The boards release a mixture of Lactic Acid Solution, which mimics the sweaty smell you get a whiff of when you start exercising, and also Carbon Dioxide, which is what is in your breath when you respire! Both of these are what attracts mosquitoes.

Recently its inventors had released the board’s blueprint, and are urging cities all around the world to implement them in cities most vulnerable to transmit Zika. However, one expert had warned that they could attract mosquitoes to places populated with many people, increasing the risk of catching the illness.

Posterscope and NBS, the two companies behind this invention, believe that it could strongly help in the fight against the Zika Virus, which is of course carried by mosquitoes themselves. ‘Insects are drawn to the aroma coming from the board, from up to a distance of 2.5 kilometers away..’ the boards inventors claim.

It was said that the board would cost  “a few thousand Reals” (1,000 Brazilian Reals is $280/£194) to make. However regardless of this price, many scientists and experts globally say that any attempt to reduce the prevalence of mosquitoes is good.

Thanks for reading, make sure you comment down below and give us your opinions on the Zika Virus outbreak, and how it affects you!

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