Researchers from Uganda are saying that the Zika virus is not considered a threat in Africa despite the mosquito-borne disease originating in the continent, per the Associated Press. The virus was first discovered in a monkey back in 1947 and was named after the Zika forest located near Uganda's capital city of Kampala.

Leading virologist at the Uganda Virus Research Institute and Zika virus expert Julius Lutwama told the media on Wednesday that no outbreak of the disease ever occurred since its discovery. However, he confirmed that there have been a few reported cases the past few years, but they don't consider it a threat because malaria is still the number one hazard in Africa.

According to Zika Virus Net, the first major epidemic of the disease occurred in 2007, affecting several areas in the Pacific including the Cook Islands, Easter Island, Micronesia, New Caledonia, Polynesia and Yap Island. There were 49 confirmed cases during the outbreak with 59 unconfirmed cases, no recorded hospitalizations and zero deaths.

The increase in the number of microcephaly cases in Brazil has been linked with the virus bringing more attention, especially that it has spread all over Latin America, the Caribbean and the Northern Hemisphere. The New York Times also noted that the experts also looking for a link between the Zika virus and Guillain-Barre syndrome.

Guillain-Barre is a rare condition where the immune system attacks the nervous system leaving the victim paralyzed have increased in number in Brazil and El Salvador where Zika virus is prevalent. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has already issued a travel warning for pregnant women that are planning or scheduled to travel to 25 countries and territories in the with confirmed Zika virus cases, per the CDC.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed positive cases of the virus brought by the Aedes aegypti mosquito in Germany, the U.K., Denmark and Sweden, as reported by The Independent. The Zika virus is also not considered to be a threat by EU nations as it does not require reporting cases to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.

The U.S. government has already started research to make a vaccine for the Zika virus led by scientists at the University of Texas Medical Branch, per BBC News. However, professor Nikos Vasilakis noted that even though the vaccine is ready for testing in one or two years from now, it could take longer for it to be used publicly.

"What would take the longest time would be the process of passing it through the US Food and Drug Administration and other regulatory agencies to allow it for public use and that may take up to 10 to 12 years," Vasilakis said.