Zika virus (zv) infections

[Becky]

The Zika virus is a mosquito-borne flavivirus that is antigenically and structurally similar to the viruses that cause dengue, yellow fever, and West Nile virus. Zika virus infection is typically asymptomatic but can cause fever, rash, joint pain, or conjunctivitis; Zika virus infection during pregnancy can cause microcephaly (a serious birth defect), eye abnormalities, and a number of developmental impairments termed congenital Zika syndrome. Diagnosis is with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay or reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Treatment is supportive. Prevention involves avoiding mosquito bites, avoiding unprotected sex with a partner at risk of having Zika virus infection, and, for pregnant women, avoiding travel to areas with ongoing transmission.
(See also Overview of Arbovirus, Arenavirus, and Filovirus Infections.)
Zika virus (ZV), like the viruses that cause dengue, yellow fever, and chikungunya disease, is transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes, which breed in areas of stagnant water. These mosquitoes prefer to bite people and live near people, indoors and outdoors; they bite aggressively during the day. They also bite at night.
The main vectors are A. aegypti and A. albopictus. In the US, A. aegypti is restricted to an area that extends from the deep South along the US-Mexican border to southern California. A. albopictus, which better adapted to colder climates, is present in a large part of the southeast up through the Upper Midwest and in southern California. A. aegypti is considered to be the main vector for epidemic Zika virus infection; A. albopictus is thought to be a secondary vector of epidemic Zika virus infection in the tropics, but whether it would do so in the more temperate climate of the US is unclear.