Could Zika be stopped by a harmless bacteria carried by bees and butterflies?

Infecting mosquitoes with the parasite 'stops the virus being transmitted to humans'

A harmless bacteria found in bees and butterflies can stop mosquitoes from being able to infect people with the Zika virus, a study has found.

Scientists have discovered a benign bacterium called Wolbachia pipientis can completely block transmission of Zika in the species of mosquito responsible for passing the virus onto humans.

Trials exposing the Aedes aegypti mosquito to the bacteria are already underway in Colombia, Brazil, Australia, Vietnam and Indonesia to help control the spread of dengue virus.

It is now hoped this will be widened out to areas endemic with the Zika virus after the pilot was endorsed by the World Health Organisation.

Zika has now affected 39 countries and territories in the Americas and it is expected that at least four million people will be infected by the end of the year.

Scientists believe the virus is responsible for a host of brain defects in developing foetuses, including microcephaly, which causes babies to have small heads.

It has contributed to an increase in cases of a neurological disorder called Guillain- Barre syndrome.

There are not yet any approved Zika virus vaccines or antiviral medications, and ongoing mosquito control strategies have not been adequate to contain the spread of the virus. The Indian division of South Korea’s LG Electronics has developed a TV it claims can repel mosquitoes, which spread diseases such as malaria, Zika and dengue HOW MOSQUITOES LOCATE HUMANS 10-50m: LG 32LH520D Vision: Sound: Cost: Sound waves 5-10m: Mosquitoes: