Zika virus

A third outbreak of Zika virus infection has occurred in India in Rajasthan. With more than 55 infected people of which more than 11 are pregnant females, it is time to recollect a few points about this viral infection.

This is a viral disease; an emerging infection transmitted the same mosquito that transmits dengue and chikungunya. This virus was first identified in Uganda in 1947. The first outbreak in India was in January 2017 at Ahmedabad, the second in Tamil Nadu at Krishnagiri in the same year. 

Most of the infections stay asymptomatic. The symptoms include fever, rashes, redness of eyes, muscle and joint pain, malaise and headache. The symptoms are mild, resemble other arboviral infections and last usually for 2 to 7 days. The fearsome aspect of this seemingly mild infection is the devastation it can bring about to the future generations. Microcephaly in the newborn and other neurological syndromes like Guillain Barre Syndrome can wreak havoc in a developing country like India. 

There is no vaccine or drug available at present which can specifically target the virus. Diagnosis is usually done through PCR and virus detection studies. The disease continues to be under surveillance of the Union Health Ministry although it is no longer a Public Health Emergency of International Concern under WHO.