RIO DE JANEIRO, Feb 7, (APP/AFP) – Mosquito-borne viruses
including Zika, which is feared to cause brain damage in babies, have
driven a surge in sales of insect repellent in Brazil, a report said Sunday.
The Brazilian insect repellent sector saw sales rise to a
record $54 million in 2015 up from $36 million a year earlier, newspaper O Globo said, citing a study by the Nielsen consumer research firm.
Brazil is the country worst affected by the outbreak of Zika, with
1.5 million cases reported last year.
Zika is causing a bigger scare since scientists have linked it to
cases of microcephaly, a condition which causes babies to be born with abnormally small heads.
It has also been linked to Guillain-Barre syndrome, a neurological
disease that can cause paralysis in humans.
There is currently no cure or vaccine for Zika, which usually causes
little more than a fever and rash in adults.
Brazil has also suffered from a rise in cases of dengue, another
mosquito-borne disease.