New threat on the horizon: The Zika virus

Zika virus has probably been present in the jungles of West Africa for millennia, affecting monkeys, small rodents, and—less frequently—human beings. It was only in 1947 that researchers investigating the feared yellow fever virus first detected the Zika virus almost incidentally. The virus—so named because of its first identification in the Zika Forest in Uganda—is a member of the Flaviviridae family, along with dengue, yellow fever, and West Nile viruses. For many decades after its discovery, Zika virus was sporadically identified as the etiological agent of a feverish disease, not significantly different from other so-called arboviral infections that are present throughout Sub-Saharan Africa.
Source: International Journal of Gynaecology and Obstetrics - Category: OBGYN Authors: Tags: Special Communication Source Type: research