In:

Atlas of Science

Authors:

Andrea Poretti, Adriano N. Hazin, Celina M. Turchi Martelli, Thierry A.G.M. Huisman

Within the last year, the outbreak of Zika virus infection in Brazil became a “public health emergency of international magnitude and concern”. The global discussions about the risk of Zika virus infection for pregnant women ahead of the Rio de Janeiro Olympics Games and the fact that athletes who had been training for many years considered cancelling their participation underline the significance of this threat. The Zika virus is a so-called arbovirus that is transmitted by mosquitoes (especially mosquitoes of the Aedes type) first identified in 1947 in the Zika forest in Uganda, Africa. The vast majority of people infected with Zika virus have no or minimal symptoms which may include mild fever, headache, pinkeye, joints and muscles pain, and a skin rash for 2 to 7 days.

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