Page 102 - Journal of Special Operations Medicine - Spring 2016

An Ongoing Series

Zika Virus

Mark W. Burnett, MD

INTRODUCTION
Prior to a widespread 2007 outbreak in Yap State of majority of those infected showed no evidence of the
the Federated States of Micronesia, human infections disease, fever, maculopapular rash, arthralgia, and con-
with Zika virus had been seldom reported in the medi- junctivitis were common symptoms in those affected. A
cal literature. Zika virus, an RNA virus in the family larger outbreak followed in French Polynesia in 2013.
Flaviviridae—the same family of viruses as dengue, yel- In 2015, it was estimated that between 500,000 and 1.5
low fever, West Nile, and Japanese encephalitis—was million Brazilians were infected as the disease made its
first isolated in a rhesus monkey in the Zika forest of way to South America, possibly being brought by travel-
Uganda in 1947. The similarity between the symptoms ers attending the 2014 World Cup soccer competition.
of those infected with dengue virus and those with Zika Zika virus is now considered an emerging infectious dis-
virus may have led to cases of Zika virus infections be- ease with the possibility of causing infections globally.
ing overlooked.
The virus itself is spread usually through the bite of an
In the spring and summer of 2007, it was estimated infected mosquito, primarily Aedes aegypti or A. albop-
that greater than 70% of the residents aged 3 years and ictus, which also carry other flavivirus infections. Trans-
older on the island of Yap were infected. Although the mission via blood transfusion or contact with infectious

Areas with active Zika virus
transmission. From the
Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (as of 1 March 2016)

Source: http://www.cdc.gov/zika/geo/index.html.

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