Nature has for decades been seeking an effective way to stymie global population growth.

Alas even with all the World Wars, the cancers, the AIDs, the diabetes, the hepatitises, the bird flus, and the Ebolas she can’t seem to prevent the world’s population from continuing to burgeon.

So now Nature’s trying a different approach.

Rather than knocking off existing populous Nature has ingenuously discovered a way to stop people from even popping into existence in the first place…

It’s true, this is no new discovery: Nature long ago thought that by introducing to grownups’ favourite pastime the scourge of STDs (or STIs, as current fashion dictates), it could perhaps stymie that swelling population by adding to the act of baby-making a decidedly undesirable quality – here people showed why they rule the planet – outsmarting Nature first with their medicines and vaccinations, then with the advent of condoms.

…In this, Nature has taken a mildly different tack: this new virus, while not strictly venereal, is expected to be equally, if not more off-putting as its ST counterpart and in fact will stop pregnancies before they start.

Cue the Zika Virus: originating in tropical Africa and although not life-threatening per se, does have the ability to cause deformity in unborn babies.

The Zika Virus, which bears similarity to dengue fever, is transmitted through mosquitoes and where reported cases of the virus were initially restricted to Africa, this has since spread to Southeast Asia, the Pacific Islands and more recently, shockingly, the UK.

Threats of the Zika Virus and the deformities it can cause to a foetus – abnormally undersized skull along with impaired cognitive function – have naturally reduced the inclination within these affected lands to become pregnant at all.

Therefore, for the moment at least, it would seem Nature is back in control; she honestly thought she had gained the upper hand with that recent Ebola scare in West Africa, but as is so often the case, the infernal goodwill of mankind thwarted her efforts.

Maybe this time, eh Nature..?

Article by Tim Walker

Edited by Panda E Mick

Photography by Nate U R Sway