Zika Virus disease is caused by a Virus transmitted primarily by Aedes mosquitoes, which bite during the day.
It was first identified in Uganda in 1947 in monkeys, then later identified in humans in 1952 in Uganda and the United Republic of Tanzania.
Symptoms are generally mild and include fever, rash, conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain, malaise or a headache.
Symptoms typically last for 2–7 days. Most people with Zika virus infection do not develop symptoms.
Zika virus infection during pregnancy can cause infants to be born with microcephaly and other congenital malformations, known as congenital Zika syndrome.
Infection with Zika virus is also associated with other complications of pregnancy including preterm birth and miscarriage.
The first recorded outbreak of Zika virus disease was reported from the Island of Yap (Federated States of Micronesia) in 2007.
Other major outbreaks that followed are French Polynesia and countries in the Pacific (2013), Brazil (2015) which was associated with the Guillian–Barre syndrome.
A diagnosis of Zika virus infection can only be confirmed by laboratory tests of blood or other body fluids, such as urine or semen.
There is no treatment available for Zika virus infection or its associated diseases, people with symptoms such as fever, rash, or arthralgia should get plenty of rest, drink fluids, and treat pain and fever with common medicines.