Zika virus infections: An overview of current scenario

Zika virus (ZIKV) was discovered more than half a century ago, recently it has gained unprecedented attention by the global health community. Until 2007, only 14 cases of human ZIKV infections were reported around the globe, while during the current outbreak, estimated cases mounted to approximately 1.5 million in Brazil alone, the virus was disseminated to wider South-American territories and travel-associated ZIKV infections were reported in USA, Europe and recently in China. ZIKV infections remain asymptomatic in approximately 80% of the individuals, and no anti-viral treatments were recommended. Yet, neurological complications associated with the infections, such as infant microcephaly and Guillain-Barré syndrome are major cause of the concern. Although, based on small numbers of cases, existing evidence strongly supports an exclusive link of viral infection and observed neurological complications. However, much work remains to assign exact numbers of complications caused by ZIKV. Regarding its structural attributes ZIKV shows remarkable resemblance with dengue virus and West-Nile virus. Despite, genomes of different ZIKV strains have already been decoded; role of the viral components in infection process and particularly pathogenesis of the disease remain widely unclear. In vulnerable areas, most viable strategy to ensure public health safety is vector control and enhanced public awareness about the transmission of the disease.