Every summer, hundreds of news stories are published about mosquito-borne diseases and how people should protect themselves against these diseases. We wear insect repellent to ward off mosquitoes that could become infected and spread disease through their bite. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) track the different types of mosquito-borne diseases that can spread to humans; Zika virus, West Nile virus, Chikungunya virus, dengue and malaria. According to NIOSH, “most people do not become ill after a bite from an infected mosquito; some people have a mild, short-term illness or (rarely) a serious or long-term illness. Severe cases of mosquito-borne illnesses can lead to death. With this in mind, mosquito-borne diseases are of considerable concern to the world and the scientific community. Currently, the most recent mosquito-borne disease threat is the Zika virus; due to a global epidemic, new neurological symptoms in fetuses and new modes of transmission. The Zika virus is scientifically classified in the Flaviviridae family and in the Flavivirus genus, this means that it is a disease identified by its ability to be transmitted mainly to humans and other mammals through arthropods such as mosquitoes. This virus was initially observed and isolated "from a sentinel rhesus monkey in the Zika forest of Uganda in 1947, and identified in humans in 1952." This information comes from an article in volume 16, number 4 of the scientific journal The Lancet Infectious Diseases, entitled Zika virus and neurological diseases: approaches to the unknown, written by Tom Solomon, Matthew Baylis and David Brown, published in April 2016. its first observation in the middle of the article......extensive studies James Crowe Jr., MD, director of the Vanderbilt Vaccine Center discovered ZIKV-117. ZIKV-117 is a human monoclonal antibody. Crowe tested this antibody on mice and obtained positive results; “In mice infected with Zika virus, injection of the antibody significantly reduced disease and mortality, as well as mother-to-fetus transmission.” (Vanderbilt) This antibody may one day prove to be the cure, but for now there is none. Our world is full of mysteries, just like the Zika virus. The Zika virus is the first virus to spread sexually. It's really intriguing that we've known about this virus for almost 70 years, but are only just beginning to understand what exactly it is. It only makes us wonder about what we neglect and give our attention to. A virus similar to or worse than Zika could cause the doom of the human race.