Zika becomes a global concern

Biomedical and Pharmacology Journal

The outbreak of zika virus belonging to the flavivirus genus was first reported in 1947 in the monkey species in Uganda. Then it was first isolated from the Aedes mosquito’s species. Recent outbreaks have been reported in India also. The main host of the virus is humans like all other flaviviruses. Although the fatality rate is not so high but the effects are seen majorly on the fetus when pregnant women gets infected. No perfect treatment or vaccine has been developed yet to treat the disease. In India also few cases are now being reported and it shows that the outbreak of the virus is just not limited to Brazil and America but now also to Asian countries as well and gradually worldwide its infection will spread through. This article deals with the development of the zika virus from 1947 to 2018 and the preventive measures in order to prevent future outbreaks have been considered.

Review Article, 2017

ZIKV is the most promising mosquito borne Arbovirus infection. Aedes mosquitoes are responsible for causing this disease. About 80% of infections are asymptomatic. Our aim is to get an overview about the epidemics of ZIKV infections throughout the years from the first case in Uganda whyich occurred in 1947 till now. Studies reveal that the disease occurs from being mild to severer with complications like microcephaly, fetal malformations and Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS). It arises from the regions of Africa, Nigeria, Sierra, Leone, and Gabon. Diagnosis occurs through PCR; Zika viruses can cross-react with other flaviviruses. There are various factors that are vague regarding the Pathogenicity of ZIKV. No medication and vaccine are available for treating Zika virus infection. Vaccine of Zika is expected to arrive soon. If the modern procedures are followed and chased appropriately it could lead to the control of this infection.

Canadian Journal of Microbiology

Zika virus (ZIKV) is a mosquito-borne virus that was first isolated from Zika forest, Uganda, in 1947. Since its inception, major and minor outbreaks have been documented from several parts of world. Aedes spp. mosquitoes are the primary vectors of ZIKV, but the virus can also be transmitted through sexual practices, materno-fetal transmission, and blood transfusion. The clinical presentations of symptomatic ZIKV infections are similar to dengue and chikungunya, including fever, headache, arthralgia, retro-orbital pain, conjunctivitis, and rash. ZIKV often causes mild illness in the majority of cases, but in some instances, it is linked with congenital microcephaly and autoimmune disorders like Guillain–Barré syndrome. The recent Indian ZIKV outbreak suggests that the virus is circulating in the South East Asian region and may cause new outbreaks in future. At present, no specific vaccines or antivirals are available to treat ZIKV, so management and control of ZIKV infections rely m...

Mosquito-borne infections and viral outbreaks have bewildered physicians and population at large from time to time. Zika virus and its vector Aedes aegypti are currently bothering the world population, and this infection has affected pregnant women causing microcephaly in their newborns and also has caused Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS)-like manifestations in affected individuals. Currently, the outbreak is concentrated in the countries of South American continent, but the omnipresence of its vector has made the world community cautious about the potential of its spread; thus the great emphasis is on prevention and vector control strategies to counter Zika virus attack. Consequently , Ministry of Health, Government of India has also taken cognizance of this and issued guidelines to tackle this problem.

Pediatria i Medycyna Rodzinna, 2016

Wirus zika należy do wirusów RNA z rodziny Flaviviridae, podobnie jak wirus żółtej gorączki i dengi. Jest przenoszony przez komary z rodziny Aedes. W wydanym 1 lutego 2016 roku oświadczeniu Światowa Organizacja Zdrowia określiła wirus zika jako zagrożenie epidemiczne o potencjalnie światowym zasięgu, podobnie jak wirus ebola w 2014 roku oraz wirus ptasiej grypy w 2009 roku. Wirus zika najczęściej wywołuje łagodne objawy grypopodobne, jednak u ciężarnych może wywołać zakażenia wrodzone płodów. Na podstawie rekomendacji International Health Regulations Światowa Organizacja Zdrowia potwierdziła możliwy związek między wzrostem zachorowań wywołanych przez wirus zika a znacznym zwiększeniem liczby noworodków z małogłowiem. W Brazylii rodzi się obecnie 10-20-krotnie więcej dzieci z małogłowiem w porównaniu z latami poprzednimi. Na terenie Stanów Zjednoczonych potwierdzono obecnie 691 przypadków przywleczonych zakażeń wirusem zika, spośród których 206 to kobiety w ciąży-do 11 zakażeń doszło drogą płciową, w 2 przypadkach stwierdzono powikłanie w postaci zespołu Guillaina-Barrégo. W krajach objętych epidemią nacisk kładzie się na profilaktykę ukąszeń oraz ograniczenie miejsc namnażania się komarów. Ze względu na izolowanie wirusa zika z nasienia i zwiększającą się liczbę potwierdzonych zakażeń nabytych drogą płciową zaleca się również profilaktykę w tym zakresie. Rozpoczęto prace nad szczepionką, jednak przewidywany czas jej opracowania wynosi kilka lat. Słowa kluczowe: ZIKV, zakażenie matczyno-płodowe, małogłowie, choroba wektorowa, zagrożenie epidemiczne Zika virus, like dengue and yellow fever viruses, is an RNA virus of the Flaviviridae family. The virus is transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes. On February 1, 2016, the World Health Organization declared Zika virus a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, similarly as in the case of Ebola virus in 2014 and bird flu virus in 2009. Although the Zika virus commonly causes a mild flu-like illness, it can cause congenital infections in the foetus. Based on the recommendations of the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee, the World Health Organization confirmed the possible relationship between the increase in the incidence of Zika virus infections and an increased number of infants with microcephaly. The incidence of microcephaly in Brazil in 2015 was 10-20 times higher than in previous years. A total of 691 cases of travel-related Zika infections have been reported in the United States of America, including 206 pregnant women-with 11 cases of sexually transmitted infection; Guillain-Barré syndrome complication was identified in 2 cases. There is an emphasis on measures to prevent mosquito bites and eliminate mosquito breeding sites in the countries affected by the epidemic. Due to both, Zika virus isolation from sperm and the growing number of sexually transmitted infections, measures to prevent sexual transmission of Zika virus have also been taken. There is an ongoing research to develop vaccine against the Zika virus, however, the estimated time of vaccine development is several years.

Journal of Drug Delivery and Therapeutics

Zika virus is a mosquito-transmitted flavivirus belongs to family Flaviviridae which becomes the focus of an ongoing pandemic and public health emergency all around the world. Zika virus has two lineages African and Asian. Mosquito-borne flavivirus is thought to replicate initially in dendritic cell and then spread to lymph nodes and then to the bloodstream. Zika virus was initially recognized in Uganda in 1947 in Monkeys through a method that observed yellow fever. It was later distinguished in people in 1952 in Uganda and the United Republic of Tanzania. The explosions of the zika virus disease have been recorded in Africa, The Americas, Asia, and The Pacific. Gillian-Berre syndrome and congenital malformation (microcephaly) suspected to be linked with Zika virus. The virus can only be confirmed through laboratory test on blood or other body fluids, such as urine, saliva or semen. No specific antiviral treatment for Zika virus disease exists. Treatment is aimed at relieving sympto...

Today's world is constantly challenged by many diseases, which are characterized by many bacterial, viral or other microorganisms. However, many protective agents being already developed to inhibit and kill these microorganisms for complete cure. But nowadays there is a virus named Zikaa Flavivirus transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes,which has made a challenge to the scientists who are working in the field of Virology.The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) issued an alert reflecting the confirmation of the first Zika virus (ZIKV) infection in Brazil. Nowadays, the spreading of this emerging Zika virus is ongoing globally and making a body of challenge for the universe. In this review, we discussed the current understanding of its transmission, epidemiology and clinical aspects regarding to the diseases caused by Zika virus.

Anwer Khan Modern Medical College Journal, 2017

REVIEW ARTICL outbreaks were reported in Brazil of South America for the first time and it is now considered as an emerging infectious disease 3. A significant increase of patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) was reported during the 2014 outbreak in French Polynesia. A similar increase along with an unusual increase of congenital microcephaly was observed in some regions in north eastern Brazil in 2015. Causal relationships are currently under investigation 4. Though Zika infections are generally confined to America, there is always a risk of spreading to the rest of the world and at present there is no

Acta Scientific Veterinary Sciences

Zika virus (ZV) is an emerging mosquito-borne virus that was first identified in Uganda in 1947 in rhesus monkeys and later identified in humans in 1952 in Uganda. Outbreaks of ZV disease have been recorded in Africa, the Americas, Asia and the Pacific and it has reached pandemic levels in many countries now. It is a single stranded positive-sense RNA virus under the genus Flavivirus. The virus is transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes and no reservoir is known till date. Zika virus infection, known as Zika fever, often causes no or only mild symptoms in human that can include mild fever, conjunctivitis, skin rashes, muscle and joint pain, malaise or headache similar to a mild form of dengue fever. Zika fever in pregnant women is implicated to abnormal brain development in their fetuses that may result in miscarriage and microcephaly. Diagnosis of ZV infection can only be confirmed by laboratory testing for the presence of ZV RNA in the blood or other body fluids, such as urine or saliva. There is no specific treatment or vaccine currently available. The best form of prevention is protection against mosquito bites. A preventive vaccine is likely to come up in near future as the virus is considered to be a relatively innocuous one. Recognition of the spread of ZV and the impact of ZV on human health will require collaboration between clinicians, public health officials and high-quality reference laboratories.

2016

Among the emerging infectious diseases, arboviruses have rung more the public health alarms. Human cases of Zika virus were reported since 1952. As of June 2016, 60 countries have reported Zika virus. Zika virus-carrying mosquitoes are reported around the world and the transmission of the virus by travelers from endemic areas and the possibility of sexual transmission of the virus have added the concerns of the spread of the diseases. The main concern for Zika virus disease is probable microcephaly disease in infants and WHO declared a public health emergency of international concern for this disease. In Iran, as a result of not reporting of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus, Zika virus transmission is not a big concern; however because of being in neighbor of Pakistan, with high reports of potential Zika virus vectors, possible transmission of the virus by travelers from endemic areas and the possibility of sexual transmission of the virus, continuing monitoring and vector control...