1Professor and Head, Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, SGT University, Budhera, Gurgaon, India
2Associate Professor, Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, SGT University, Budhera, Gurgaon, India
*Corresponding author email id: megha0gera51@gmail.com
Online published on 30 March, 2016.
Zika virus a member of Flaviviridae family was an obscure virus till recently when it has suddenly become a global public health emergency. The virus is closely related to Spondweni virus and is transmitted through Aedes aegypti mosquito. It was isolated for the first time in Zika forest in Uganda in 1947 from rhesus monkeys. Zika virus infection is mostly asymptomatic and did not attract much attention till 2015, but now it appears that Zika virus may be causing microcephaly and other CNS disorders in babies in Brazil and other countries and WHO has deemed it a “Public health emergency of international concern”. Real time reverse transcriptase PCR remains the mainstay of diagnosis. Currently no treatment or vaccine is available for the virus. Prevention of mosquito bites remains the only alternative to prevent Zika virus infection.
Zika virus, Flavivirus, Microcephaly, RT-PCR, Aedes
