The Zika virus is the main cause of the disease with the same name. It is mainly transmitted through the Aedes species of mosquitoes. The virus was first identified in 1947 among monkeys of the Zika forest in Uganda. It 1952, it was identified among humans in Uganda and the United Republic of Tanzania. The first recorded outbreak of Zika virus infection was reported in the Island of Yap, which is a part of the Federated States of Micronesia, in the year 2007, followed by the second outbreak in French Polynesia in 2013. In the year 2015, a similar Zika virus infection outbreak was reported in Brazil. It was then imagined to be one of the major public health concern in the 21st century. Due to rapid globalization, this virus spread through the Americans Continent in 2016, followed by different parts of the world.
About the Zika virus
The Zika virus is one of the re-emerging arboviruses. It is a single-stranded RNA virus that belongs to the genus Flavivirus of the Flaviviridae family and has similar characteristics to those of other Flaviviruses like the yellow virus, dengue virus, chikungunya virus, and West Nile Virus. The Zika virus is divided into two types on the basis of its geographical locations: one is the African Zika virus, which is associated with monkeys, apes as the primary hosts along with the occasional hosts as humans, and the other is the Asian Zika virus, which includes the human as the main hosts.
Transmission of the disease
Transmission of the virus in humans takes place through several ways, the most common being through an infected Aedes mosquito. These mosquitoes are mainly found in tropical and subtropical regions, and breed in stagnant fresh water. They usually bite during the day, peaking during the early morning hours as well as late afternoon or evening. This is the same mosquito that transmits diseases like dengue, chikungunya, and yellow fever.
Zika virus can also spread through unprotected sex. A woman infected by the Zika virus can transfer this virus to her developing fetus. This virus can cross the placental barrier resulting in congenital infection and can result in rare birth defects of her unborn child.
Symptoms
The incubation period of the Zika virus disease is between 3 and 14 days. Yet, some people have certain symptoms within 2-7 days after getting infected by Zika virus. The following symptoms are common and do not vary with people:
- Mild fever
- Headaches
- Fatigue
- Muscle and joint pain
- Physical weakness
- Rashes
- Conjunctivitis
These symptoms naturally last for several days to a week. People infected with Zika virus naturally don’t get hospitalized or die.
Complications
Although most people recover from this infection without any major complications, yet there are certain cases where people face neurological disorders. The Zika virus is associated with certain major complications that are listed below.
- Congenital infection
The Zika virus, on being transmitted to pregnant mothers can cause the virus to cross the placental barrier and enter into the developing fetus of the mother which may cause certain birth defects in the unborn child. One of the confirmed birth defect due to the Zika virus infection is the Microcephaly, which makes the baby’s head to be smaller than normal, resulting in an underdeveloped brain. There have been reports of several infant deaths. - Neurological complication
One of the common neurological disorder associated with the Zika virus infection is the Guillain-Barré syndrome, which actually causes muscle weakness and paralysis. There are also confirmed reports of acute Mellitus as well as meningoencephalitis.
