Zika virus infection

This page is about clinical aspects of the disease.  For microbiologic aspects of the causative organism(s), see Zika virus.

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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Nate Michalak, B.A.

Synonyms and keywords: Zika virus; ZIKV; ZIKV disease; Zika; Zika virus disease; Zika disease; Zika fever

Overview

Zika fever is an illness caused by the Zika virus, a member of the family Flaviviridae. The fever and virus are named after the Ugandan forest where the virus was first isolated. The virus is commonly found in Africa but has also been found in Malaysia and Micronesia. Symptoms are similar to dengue fever, but are milder in form and usually last four to seven days. No hemorrhagic manifestations have been documented. Common symptoms include a maculopapular skin rash that starts on the face or trunk before moving to the rest of the body, conjunctivitis, joint pain, low-grade fevers and headache.

Historical Perspective

• Zika virus was first isolated in 1947 from a rhesus monkey in the Zika Forest of Uganda. The first human isolation of the virus occurred in 1968 in Nigeria.
• Between 1951 through 1981, evidence of human infection was additionally reported in the following countries:
  • Africa: Tanzania, Egypt, Central African Republic, Sierra Leone, and Gabon
  • Asia: India, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia
• The first outbreak of Zika virus outside of Africa and Asia occurred in April 2007 on the Yap Island in the Federated States of Micronesia. The disease was initially thought to be dengue, but the Chikungunya and Ross River viruses were also suspected.
• A larger outbreak of Zika virus occurred in the Brazilian district of Camaçari and neighboring Salvador City in April 2015. An unknown agent was causing flu-like symptoms, followed by rash and arthralgia, in approximately 500 individuals. RT-PCR techniques by researchers at the Federal University of Bahia confirmed the causative organism to be Zika virus.