Zika virus

Zika virus (ZIKV) belongs to the virus family Flaviviridae and the genus Flavivirus. It is spread by mosquitoes from the genus Aedes (like Aedes aegypti), which are active during the daytime.

Zika virus is named after Uganda's Zika Forest, where the virus was first discovered in 1947.[1]

Zika virus can cause an infectious disease called Zika fever. Zika fever often causes no symptoms, or only mild symptoms. Scientists know that people in Africa and Asia have been getting Zika fever since the 1950s. In 2014, the virus spread eastward across the Pacific Ocean-first to French Polynesia, then to Easter Island. Finally, in 2015, it spread to Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and South America. In these places, Zika virus has become a pandemic.[2]

Background

Zika virus is related to West Nile virus and the viruses that cause dengue fever, yellow fever, and Japanese encephalitis.[3] Zika virus causes an illness that is like a mild form of dengue fever.[3] It is treated by rest.[4] As of 2016, there is no medication or vaccine that can prevent the Zika virus.[4]

Pregnant women who get the Zika virus can spread the virus to their fetuses. When they are born, these newborns may be more likely to have microcephaly.[5][6][7] In places where the Zika virus lives, people are more likely to have birth defects, neurological problems like Guillain-Barré syndrome, and autoimmune diseases.[8]

2016 outbreak

In January 2016, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published advice for how to avoid getting Zika fever. They suggested that when traveling to places where Zika virus lives: [9][10]

Travelers should use “enhanced precautions,” meaning they should be as careful as possible to avoid getting bitten by mosquitoes

Pregnant women should think about not traveling to these areas

Other governments or health agencies soon issued similar travel warnings.[11][12] Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, and Jamaica advised women not to get pregnant until scientists know more about the risks of Zika virus to pregnant women.[13]

On February 2, 2016, public health officials in Dallas County, Texas, reported the first case of somebody getting Zika virus in the United States.[14][15]