Zika virus is currently causing extensive outbreaks in a number of countries in South and Central America and the Caribbean and has been associated with foetal abnormalities. We report an outbreak of Zika virus infection in a Chinese tour-group returning from a nine day holiday in Fiji and Samoa. The index case was a 38-year old male who developed symptoms while travelling back from Fiji to Hon...

In 2016, Zika virus disease developed in a man (patient A) who had no known risk factors beyond caring for a relative who died of this disease (index patient). We investigated the source of infection for patient A by surveying other family contacts, healthcare personnel, and community members, and testing samples for Zika virus. We identified 19 family contacts who had similar exposures to the ...

The virus is spread directly through the bite of an infected mosquito or it is sexually transmitted from an infected male. Zika virus was first discovered in Uganda in 1947. The first case of the virus infecting a human was reported in 1952. Many cases of the virus have since been documented, but far more have been unrecognized due to Zika’s asymptomatic nature. Since 2015, there has been a ris...

Introduction In 2015, there was an outbreak of Zika virus in Brazil that spread throughout the Americas. The association of Zika virus with birth defects in infants born to infected pregnant women created concern for women of childbearing age. Social media is an important platform for health promotion, communication, and education on preventative methods during Zika virus outbreaks. Methods We ...

The recent outbreak of the Zika virus attracts worldwide attention probably because the most recently affected country (Brazil) will host the 2016 Olympic Game. Zika virus infected cases are now spreading to many other countries and its infection might be linked to some severe medical sequelae. Since its first isolation from the infected monkey in 1947 in Uganda, only a few studies had been tak...

EnvironmEntal HEaltH insigHts 2016:10 Zika virus is named for the Zika Forest in Uganda and was first discovered in 1947 in primates. The first human cases of Zika virus infection were detected in 1952. From about 1960– 1980, human infections occurred across Asia and Africa, although infections were typically mild with limited symptoms. The first major human outbreak occurred in Micronesia in 2...

Perspectives Zika virus disease is caused by a ri-bonucleic acid (RNA) virus, which is transmitted to humans by mosquitoes of the Aedes aegypti species. Around 80% of infections are asymptomatic. 1 Symptomatic infections are characterized by mild fever lasting from four to seven days, associated with maculopapular rash, arthralgia, conjunctivitis, muscle pain and headache. Until recently, Zika ...

In the first two days of March 2016, an International Workshop on Zika Virus was held in the city of Recife, Brazil, hosted by the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz). The workshop took place at the Research Institute Aggeu Magalhaes (IAM), the state of Pernambuco research branch of Fiocruz, responsible for hosting the meeting and its organization. Representatives from several institutions workin...

Recent studies revealed an association between Zika virus infection and a variety of neurological disorders, including microcephaly, meningoencephalitis, myelitis, and Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). Following the first report of a patient diagnosed with GBS after Zika virus infection in December 2013, the number of GBS patients significantly increased in endemic countries, such as French-Polyne...

In the Western Hemisphere, Zika virus is thought to be transmitted primarily by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. To determine the extent to which Ae. albopictus mosquitoes from the United States are capable of transmitting Zika virus and the influence of virus dose, virus strain, and mosquito species on vector competence, we evaluated multiple doses of representative Zika virus strains in Ae. aegypti ...