An Insight into Zika virus in India: past, present and future
Keywords:
Zika virus; arbovirus; flavivirus; microcephaly; mosquito-borne virus; pathogenesis; replication.Abstract
Zika virus is a flavivirus that is an acute febrile disease accompanied by joint pain, rash, and conjunctivitis. After being reported sporadically over several years in Africa, three major outbreaks occurred in the Yap Islands (2007), French Polynesia (2013-2014) and South America (2015-16). Serological studies showed the presence of ZIKV in India in the 1950s, but cross reactivity could not be ruled out. India's first four confirmed cases of ZIKV were reported in 2017, with major cases reported in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh in 2018. Fortunately, the outbreak in India was not associated with neurological complications. This outbreak in India has highlighted the spread of the disease across geographic barriers due to increased globalization, increased travel and the ubiquitous presence of the arthropod Aedes mosquito. This review discusses the epidemiology, clinical features and treatment of ZIKV in India.
