Top 7 things everyone needs to know about Zika virus
Gowrish Babu
Most people with Zika virus infection do not develop symptoms.
Those who do typically have symptoms including rash, fever, conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain, malaise and headache that last for 2–7 days.
Zika virus infection during pregnancy can cause infants to be born with microcephaly and other congenital malformations as well as preterm birth and miscarriage.
Zika virus infection is associated with Guillain-Barré syndrome, neuropathy and myelitis in adults and children.
In February 2016, WHO declared Zika-related microcephaly a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).
Although cases of Zika virus disease declined from 2017 onwards globally, transmission persists at low levels in several countries and other endemic regions.
The best way to prevent Zika is to prevent mosquito bites.