The Clinical Spectrum of Zika Virus in Returning Travelers

The clinical spectrum of Zika virus had, to date, been described in small series from endemic/epidemic countries and is not well established.

We describe the clinical manifestations of laboratory-proven Zika virus infection in Israeli travelers during December 2015-February 2016, and review all published cases of travel-related Zika virus.

During the study period, 8 returning Israeli travelers were diagnosed with Zika virus infection. In addition, 41 published cases were included, mostly from Latin America to Europe and North America. Overall, 65.3% were diagnosed by polymerase chain reaction. Rash was the most frequent symptom, present in 95.7% of cases, followed by fever and arthralgia. Conjunctivitis was present in 53.1%; however, only 40.3% presented with a triad of conjunctivitis, fever, and rash. Less frequent symptoms included dysgeusia and nightmares, which, together with arthralgia, persisted for several weeks in some travelers.

Zika virus clinical picture in travelers is diverse. Prolonged symptoms may occur.