Zika Virus

Karnataka has stepped up surveillance after a mosquito pool in Chickballapur was found to be positive for Zika virus. It is a vector-borne flavivirus.

Zika virus is a mosquito-borne virus 1^st identified in Uganda in 1947 in a Rhesus macaque monkey followed by evidence of infection and disease in humans in other African countries in the 1950s.

Transmission – Primarily by the bite of Aedes mosquitoes, mainly Aedes aegypti and Aedes Albopictus.
It is also transmitted from mother to foetus during pregnancy, as well as through sexual contact, blood transfusion and possibly through organ transplantation.

Aedes aegypti mosquitoes also transmit dengue, chikungunya and urban yellow fever which mostly bite in the day.

Incubation period – 3 to 14 days.
Symptoms – Most people do not develop symptoms and who develops may have rash, fever, conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain, malaise and headache that last for 2–7 days.
Complications – It is associated with Guillain-Barré syndrome, neuropathy and myelitis in adults and children.
Infected pregnant mothers can cause microcephaly in infants and other congenital malformations with preterm birth and miscarriage.

In 2016, WHO declared Zika-related microcephaly a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) and later declared the end of the PHEIC in same year.

Treatment – There is no specific treatment available but symptoms can be treated with antipyretics and/or analgesics.
Prevention – Vector control by using larvicides and protection against mosquito bite is a key measure to prevent it.

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