The world seems to be in hysteria over the Zika Virus that is spreading to North America. The information that is given to the public is information that is not always correct. The side that is shown in the news is one that is feared by parents. There is a side to the condition which allows children to live normal, healthy lives. More people need to know that there is more to the condition than what is on the news and that there should be some hope for the unborn children that are diagnosed. The future of the of the children should not be decided before they are even given a chance. The media has been known to tell the public what exactly they want to be put out there, therefore the public cannot believe what is reported about the Zika Virus. 

The Zika virus is reported on every major news outlet during some point in the day. It is reported that the Zika virus is a worldwide concern based on the fact that it is spreading rapidly. In an article written on CNN's website states that the Zika virus is transmitted through mosquitos. When an infected person is bit then the mosquito bites another person the virus is spread. The virus is known to affect pregnant women and give their unborn babies microcephaly.The condition gives babies an abnormal head size and slow brain development. There are no known treatments or cures for the condition and the only advice that is offered is that women do not travel to the affected areas. The World Heath Organization declares the Zika virus as a world health crisis. The article showcases what they think the public should know but they don't show that the virus doesn't have to be this scary thing that they are saying it is. The article is informative but there is also a bit of bias to the article as well. The article is set to contribute to the hysteria that is already out there. There is a side to the Zika Virus that is not as harmful as the public is made to believe it is. 

There is a Brazilian journalist named Ana Caceres who was born with microcephaly. She encourages parents who have learned that their unborn children have the condition to reconsider their options. When Ana was born the doctors told her parents that she would never walk or talk.She defined all the odds but going well beyond that while graduating from university and becoming a journalist. Some parents decide to terminate the pregnancy when they discover that their children have microcephaly because they don't think their children will live a normal life. In fact there is always a chance that the children could live normal and healthy lives, but this isn't shown in the media or the news. Ana has lived with the disease and can talk about it firsthand which makes her a credible source. She presents the evidence in a bias genre because her parents were given the option to terminate or put her up for adoption but her parents chose to raise her and she outdid what the doctors expected of her. With the Zika Virus putting fear into the hearts of expectant mothers this article can be found as a relief from the fear. As for the women who are pregnant and their unborn children have been diagnosed, this article gives them new hope for their children's future. 

The Zika virus comes from the virus that is related to Yellow fever and the West Nile virus. In2007, there was an outbreak of the disease characterized by rash, arthralgia, and conjunctivitis on Yap Island in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. This is the first time in history that the disease was found outside of Africa and Asia. This became a possible fear that the virus could be spread to the Americas. It is now known that the virus can be transmitted sexually as well. There was a case in Texas where a woman had unprotected sex with a man who had just returned from Venezuela. The virus is known to live in semen but there is no evidence about how long the virus can survive in semen. There have been other cases where the virus has been transmitted sexually but this is the first case where this has happened in the United States. While it is clear that mosquitos are the cause of the problem which can have everlasting effects there are a few things that people can do to protect themselves. A person can never be too careful when it comes to their health and the health of their children. The virus can have detrimental effects on pregnant women and their unborn children but a diagnosis is not the end of the world. The public should not let the media hype scare them because the children can grow up as to live normal lives.

Media, in the form of news outlets, is full of bias. There are two types of bias that the media portrays, ideology and spin. Ideology, reflects a news outlet's desire to affect reader opinions in a particular direction. The second bias, which we refer to as spin, reflects the outlet's attempt to simply create a memorable story.Tom Stafford wrote that there were studies done that prove that most of the news that we seen on the news is negative information. There have been several psychological studies that suggest that people are more likely to respond to negative stories. This is because those are the stories that people are more likely to remember and respond faster to negativity. There was a national poll and of network newscasts examined if coverage of foreign nations had an agenda-setting influence. The more media coverage a nation received, the more likely people were to think the nation was vitally important to U.S. interests. The more negative coverage a nation received, the more likely respondents were to think negatively about the nation, supporting the second level of agenda setting. Positive coverage of a nation had no influence on public perceptions. 

It is widely reported that if the Zika virus is transmitted to a pregnant woman her baby can be born with serious birth defects. The major birth defect that is associated with the Zika virus is microcephaly. This comes from studies done by John Hopkins University and Emory University that says that the Zika virus destroys cells that are essential to brain development. Also the genes that are needed to switch on the mechanisms in the brain do not work properly so the virus cannot be fought.  In a report done by The Vaccine Report Brazil is going against the claims made by the Center for Disease Control and the World Health Organization. The Minister of Public Health, Marcelo Castro, agrees that there is a chance that the birth defect can be cause d by the Zika virus but it is not as common as the image portrayed in the media. He says that while the Zika virus and microcephaly may be linked there is no evidence that the condition is caused by the virus. The chance of a child being born with the condition is extremely rare and many of the cases are misdiagnosed. Currently there are no treatments for the virus to Dr. Castro is partnering with the University of Texas to create a vaccine. 

In the media the Zika virus is portrayed as this deadly virus that is spreading rapidly. It affects pregnant women and their children will be born with serious birth defects, that would prevent a child from having a normal childhood and life. The reality of the situation is that although there is some truth to this it is just smoke and mirrors. There is no proof that the virus causes microcephaly, it is extremely rare and if a child is born with this condition then it is possible that a child can overcome it. All of the facts are not given because the media tells the public what they want them to believe so it is up to us to do our own through research and find the facts ourselves. 

