In:

Nature Reviews Microbiology

Author:

Naomi Attar

Named after the forest in Uganda from which it was first isolated in 1947, Zika virus (ZIKV) is a flavivirus transmitted by Aedes spp. mosquitos. Although the widespread distribution of the vector may make many regions vulnerable to ZIKV, the virus was confined to Africa and Asia until 2007, when it arrived in Oceania. However, in the past year, ZIKV has been circulating in the Americas, where concerns have now been raised over possible links with microcephaly (a congenital growth impairment of the head).

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