Scottish scientists have made a breakthrough in the fight against the Zika virus.

Zika is spread by mosquitoes and can cause serious birth defects including microcephaly.

Tens of thousands of people were infected with the disease during an outbreak in South America in 2015.

Researchers at the University of Glasgow now say they have found a way to block Zika and dengue viruses using a strain of bacteria.

It uses a type of bacteria called Wolbachia, which is especially effective at halting infections in hot climates.

Professor Steven Sinkins, from the university's Centre for Disease Research, said: "The Wolbachia transmission blocking strategy shows great promise for the control of mosquito-borne viruses and is now starting to be deployed on a large scale in a number of tropical countries.

"Our results provide an exciting new option to explore for disease control programmes."

The results of the team's study have been published in the journal PLOS Pathogens.