Zika virus disease

寨卡病毒病

Evidence-backed information EN 5/7 applicable sections · ZH 5/7 applicable sections Updated Oct 23, 2026

Zika virus disease is a mosquito-borne flavivirus infection that expanded from sporadic African and Asian cases to widespread outbreaks across the Americas, Asia, and the Pacific since 2007 ^[1]^[2]^[3]. Global case counts declined after 2017, yet transmission continues at low levels in endemic regions and new outbreaks such as those in Asia in 2024 have been reported ^[4]^[5]. No vaccine or specific treatment is currently available, so public health response centers on infection prevention ^[4]^[5]^[3].

Read the full clinical and epidemiological profile 6

Definition

Zika virus is an arbovirus of the Flaviviridae family, first isolated in 1947 from a rhesus monkey in Uganda, which causes a mosquito-borne human disease transmitted primarily by Aedes genus mosquitoes ^[1]^[2]. It is classified as a mosquitoborne flavivirus responsible for an ongoing public health emergency following its rapid spread through the Americas after 2015 ^[3].

Clinical features

Most infected persons remain asymptomatic, but those who become ill typically show mild manifestations after a 3–14 day incubation period, including rash, fever, conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain, malaise, and headache lasting 2–7 days ^[4]. Severe presentations have been documented such as Guillain-Barré syndrome in adults and microcephaly in infants born to infected mothers ^[2]^[3]. Congenital Zika syndrome encompasses limb contractures, eye abnormalities, and hearing loss among affected infants ^[1].

Epidemiology

The virus was identified in 1947 and caused sporadic human infections in Africa and Asia through the 1980s, with outbreak records across Africa, the Americas, Asia, and the Pacific since 2007 ^[1]^[2]. A large epidemic in Brazil in 2015 prompted WHO to declare a public health emergency of international concern from February to November 2016 ^[4]^[1]. Globally, cases declined from 2017 onward, though low-level transmission persists in the Americas and other endemic areas, and 92 countries and territories have reported mosquito-transmitted infection ^[4]^[1]^[5]. Local mosquito transmission was first reported in Europe in 2019 ^[1].

Transmission

Primary transmission occurs through bites of infected Aedes mosquitoes, especially Aedes aegypti, which are day-biting with peaks in early morning and late afternoon ^[4]. The virus also passes from mother to fetus during pregnancy and through sexual contact, laboratory exposure, blood product transfusion, and potentially organ transplantation ^[4]^[2]. Breast milk and animal bites have additionally been reported as possible routes ^[2].

Prevention

No licensed vaccine or therapeutic agent exists for Zika virus prevention or treatment, though multiple vaccine candidates are in clinical development stages ^[4]^[5]. Public health efforts prioritize avoiding mosquito bites and preventing infection in pregnant women given the risk of congenital harm ^[5]^[3]. Monoclonal antibodies neutralizing the virus are also under consideration, particularly for pregnant women and immunocompromised persons such as those living with HIV ^[5].

References

1 World Health Organization. Zika virus [Internet]. cited 3 Sept 2026. Available from: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/zika-virus
2 Al-Afaleq AI et al. Zika Virus Disease. Saudi J Med Med Sci. 2017 Jan-Apr. PMID: 30787745. doi: 10.4103/1658-631X.194260. PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30787745/
3 Plourde AR et al. A Literature Review of Zika Virus. Emerg Infect Dis. 2016 Jul. PMID: 27070380. doi: 10.3201/eid2207.151990. PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27070380/
4 World Health Organization. Zika virus disease [Internet]. cited 3 Sept 2026. Available from: https://www.who.int/health-topics/zika-virus-disease
5 de Jong HK et al. Zika virus: an overview update. Curr Opin HIV AIDS. 2025 May 1. PMID: 40048580. doi: 10.1097/COH.0000000000000926. PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40048580/