Zika virus

Why in news?

• Many cases of Zika virus has been reported from Kerala.

About Zika Virus:

• Zika virus disease is spread by daytime-active Aedes mosquitoes, such as A. aegypti and A. albopictus.
• Its name comes from the Ziika Forest of Uganda, where the virus was first isolated in 1947.
• Zika virus shares a genus with the dengue, yellow fever, Japanese encephalitis, and West Nile viruses.
• Since the 1950s, it has been known to occur within a narrow equatorial belt from Africa to Asia and from 2007 to 2016, the virus spread eastward, across the Pacific Ocean to the Americas.
• The infection, known as Zika fever or Zika virus disease, often causes no or only mild symptoms, similar to a very mild form of dengue fever.
• While there is no specific treatment, paracetamol (acetaminophen) and rest may help with the symptoms.
•  Zika can spread from a pregnant woman to her baby.
• This can result in microcephaly, severe brain malformations, and other birth defects.
•  Zika infections in adults may result rarely in Guillain–Barré syndrome, a rapid-onset muscle weakness caused by the immune system damaging the peripheral nervous system.

Prelims Question

Consider the following statements regarding Zika Virus disease:    
1.It is spread by anopheles mosquitos.
2.It is endemic to Asia and Africa.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a)1 only
(b)2 only
(c)Both 1 and 2
(d)Neither 1 nor 2

Answer to prelims question