--- ---  # Zika Strain Linked to Birth Defects on 'Doorstep of Africa,' WHO Warns  by [Julia Zorthian](https://time.com/author/julia-zorthian/)  ## Julia Zorthian May 20, 2016 1:52 PM UTC  SAO PAULO, BRAZIL - MARCH 04: Aedes aegypti mosquito, the species which transmits the dengue virus, chikungunya fever and zika is photographed on March 04, 2016 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Photo by William Volcov/Brazil Photo Press/LatinContent/Getty Images) SAO PAULO, BRAZIL - MARCH 04: Aedes aegypti mosquito, the species which transmits the dengue virus, chikungunya fever and zika is photographed on March 04, 2016 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Photo by William Volcov/Brazil Photo Press/LatinContent/Getty Images)Brazil Photo Press/CON/LatinContent/Getty Images  by [Julia Zorthian](https://time.com/author/julia-zorthian/)  ## Julia Zorthian May 20, 2016 1:52 PM UTC The strain of the [Zika Virus](http://time.com/4319115/what-you-need-to-know-about-zika/) raging in South America that has been linked to birth defects has been [confirmed in Africa](http://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-zika-africa-idUSKCN0YB1FJ) for the first time, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Friday. Researchers sequenced the virus from a sample from Cape Verde, Reuters reports. Matshidiso Moeti, the WHO Africa director, said she does not recommend travel restrictions as a means of stemming the spread of the disease. “The findings are of concern because it is further proof that the outbreak is spreading beyond South America and is on the doorstep of Africa,” said Moeti. This strain of Zika has been linked to neurological problems and babies being born with microcephaly, but the virus [as it originated in Africa](http://time.com/4219240/zika-africa-origins-microcephaly-vaccine/) has not been known to cause the defects. \[[_Reuters_](http://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-zika-africa-idUSKCN0YB1FJ)\] First Brazil-Type Zika Circulation Confirmed in Africa ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4342952/zika-cape-verde-africa-brazil-virus/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4342952/zika-cape-verde-africa-brazil-virus/"},"headline":"Zika Strain Linked to Birth Defects on 'Doorstep of Africa,' WHO Warns","datePublished":"2016-05-20T13:52:49.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T17:42:58.956Z","description":"A Cape Verde sample was positive for the type of Zika in Brazil, the WHO said","url":"https://time.com/4342952/zika-cape-verde-africa-brazil-virus/","keywords":["Zika virus","health"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte23e175a9fcb5722/6988940f0b72e3606a6e977b/first-brazil-case-zika-africa.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Julia Zorthian","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/julia-zorthian/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte23e175a9fcb5722/6988940f0b72e3606a6e977b/first-brazil-case-zika-africa.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"first brazil case zika africa","caption":"first brazil case zika africa","creditText":"Brazil Photo Press/CON/LatinContent/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/zika-virus/","name":"Zika virus"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4342952/zika-cape-verde-africa-brazil-virus/","name":"Zika Strain Linked to Birth Defects on 'Doorstep of Africa,' WHO Warns"}}]}] ```