Zika virus belongs to the Flaviviridae virus family. It is transmitted by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes during the daytime such as Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. The name comes from the Zika Forest in Uganda, where the virus was first isolated in the year 1947. Zika virus shares its genus with yellow fever, dengue, West Nile virus and Japanese encephalitis. It has been known to be found in the narrow equatorial belt from Africa to Asia since the 1950s. From the years 2007 to 2016, the virus spread eastward across the Pacific Ocean into the United States, and the Zika virus epidemic occurred from the year 2015 to the year 2016.
Highlights
Infections known as Zika fever, like very mild dengue fever, often cause no or only mild symptoms. There is no specific cure, but acetaminophen (acetaminophen) and rest can relieve symptoms. No vaccine has been approved for clinical use, but many vaccines are currently in clinical trials. Zika fever is passed down from pregnant women to babies. This can lead to microcephaly, severe cerebral malformations, and other birth defects.
Transmission
Zika fever is prevalent mainly by Aedes aegypti which is mainly active during the day. Mosquitoes must eat blood to lay their eggs. It is also isolated from mosquito species that inhabit many trees of the genus Aedes. The exogenous incubation period is about 10 days. The true range of the vector is still unknown. Zika fever was found in many other Aedes species, along with Aedes aegypti, and Culex pipiens.
Zika can be transmitted from women and men to sexual partners. The most well-known cases involve symptomatic male-to-female transmission. This virus persists in sperm for several months and viral RNA is detected for up to a year. The virus propagates in the human testis and infects various types of cells, including peritubular cells, testicular macrophages and germ cells, which are sperm progenitor cells.
Zika virus can be spread from mother-to-child during pregnancy or during delivery. Infections during pregnancy are associated with changes in the neurodevelopment of the foetus. Severe progression of infection is associated with the development of microcephaly in the foetus, while mild infection can lead to neurocognitive disturbances later in life. Congenital brain abnormalities other than microcephaly have also been reported following the Zika outbreak. Studies in mice have suggested that maternal immunity to dengue virus may increase foetal Zika infection, exacerbate microcephaly, and/or increase perinatal lesions pregnancy, but it is not known whether this is produced in humans.
Vaccine
The World Health Organization suggests that the development of inactivated vaccines and other non-live vaccines that can be safely used by pregnant women should be prioritized. 18 companies and institutions are developing vaccines against Zika fever, but it is unlikely that the vaccine will become widespread within about 10 years.
