The onset of the monsoon in India brings about a speedy rise in cases of mosquito-borne diseases, and this year, along with dengue, we also have a new contender, which is the Zika Virus.

An increasing number of cases of Zika Virus are being reported throughout the country and have raised alarm bells, especially for pregnant women who are more brutally affected by this virus. Let’s find out more about the Zika Virus.

What is  Zika Virus?

Zika virus is a virus belonging to the flavivirus group of viruses and is spread by the Aedes mosquito, the same as the one causing dengue, Japanese encephalitis and even yellow fever. The Zika virus, originally from a belt in Africa, first spread to the Americas and caused several epidemics there since 2017. Later, the infections started moving east, towards South Asia and especially India. There have been several epidemics since 2021, with the most recent one being now in Maharashtra, with several Zika Virus cases detected in Pune.

How is Zika virus transmitted?

Zika virus is mainly transmitted via contact with body fluids. Some of the ways the Zika virus can be transmitted:
1. Bite by the Aedes mosquito. 
2. From the mother to child via the placenta.
3. Sexual contact with a person affected with Zika Virus.
4.Less commonly via organ transplantation.

Mosquito bite remains the commonest mode of spread, making anti-mosquito measures more effective in controlling the spread of the disease.

Zika Virus Symptoms:

Zika virus infection is a mosquito vector-borne infection that, for most people, causes a brief and mild infection lasting for upto one week. The following symptoms may be experienced as a part of the illness :
1.Weakness.
2. Joint pain and muscle pain.
3. Conjunctivitis causing watering of eyes.
4. Fever.
5. Occasionally, a rash.
6. Headache. 
These symptoms are also common to other mosquito borne diseases but less severe.

Who is at risk?

Anyone travelling to the Zika virus-affected area or living in close contact with someone with the Zika Virus infection is at very high risk of getting an infection. The following people commonly fall in the risk category for Zika Virus infection:

1. Travellers to and from Zika virus-afflicted areas.
2. Pregnant women in areas with Zika virus epidemics or endemics.
3. Unborn children of Zika Virus infected mother.
4. Sexual partners of people living in Zika virus endemic areas or those having active infection.
5. Organ recipients in Zika virus endemic areas.
6. Older adults, small children and immuno compromised individuals are also at a higher risk of infection.
7. Areas where mosquitoes are actively breeding and gaining large numbers, like after the monsoon season.

Complications of Zika Virus:

In most cases Zika Virus is only responsible for mild symptoms. Rarely, it can also result in serious complications, some of which are listed as follows. 

1. Microcephaly in unborn babies and calcification in the grey-white junction of the brain that can later affect their social, language, or even intellectual development.
2. There can also be other congenital abnormalities like contractures in the limbs and early pregnancy loss or abortions. Hearing loss, seizures and stiff muscles can be other problems that can affect children born to mothers who had Zika infection early in pregnancy.
3. Zika virus has been linked to cases of the Gullian barre syndrome, which is a potentially fatal demyelination of nerves in the body, causing paralysis from below upwards, becoming fatal when the respiratory muscles are paralysed.

Zika Virus Syndrome:

Zika virus syndrome affects nearly 6% of the babies born to Zika virus-infected mothers. It is more likely to happen in the children of mothers who were affected by the virus early in pregnancy, like in the first trimester. The likelihood of Zika Virus syndrome reduces to less than 3.8% in children of mothers affected in the third trimester. The features of Zika virus syndrome are as follows:

1.Microcephaly. 
2.Problems with brain development.
3.Diplegia or para plegia, a type of paralysis in babies that causes stiffness and paralysis in the limbs of the child.
4.hearing loss that may often be irreversible
5. Seizures.
6. Difficulty in swallowing feeds

These symptoms, as mentioned before, have a very low chance of occurring. The next pregnancy will not be affected as this syndrome is only seen in women who are actively infected during the pregnancy; therefore no Zika Virus infection and no risk of Zika Virus Syndrome in the baby.

Diagnosis of Zika Virus:

The Zika Virus is diagnosed with the help of clinical signs and symptoms, which help to narrow down to illness due to the Zika Virus, another virus of the same family. A clinical diagnosis is followed by a laboratory test, which is usually a confirmatory test. Some of the diagnostic laboratory tests used are as follows:

1. ZIKV IgM testing via lateral flow assays or ELIZA.
2. NAAT testing or nucleic acid amplification tests for Zika Virus.
3. Isolating the Zika Virus from the infected person’s bodily fluid.

These are the tests that are currently available and can help differentiate Zika from Dengue virus.

Zika Virus Treatment:

The treatment of the Zika Virus relies heavily on the management of symptoms and hydration withadequate fluids. Pain and fever medications like paracetamol are available over the counter and thus can be used to manage the infection at home. If the patient gets too serious, one can also be managed well in the hospital.

Zika Virus Prevention:

Prevention of Zika virus can be done by disrupting the chain of transmission, which is completed by the mosquito biting the healthy person. The following precautions are helpful in preventing Zika Virus infection as well as other mosquito-borne diseases:

1. Use of mosquito nets while sleeping.
2. Use of mosquito repellent creams while going out.
3. Removing mosquito breeding places by draining water collection around the houses.Covering and cleaning septic tanks and polluted water bodies from time to time.
4. Wear light-coloured clothing that covers the body well.

Zika Virus Vaccine:

Zika virus vaccines are still under development and can be expected to be in public use in another 2-3 years. Development of a vaccine is a very long process, and Zika Virus is a complex virus; therefore, Zika Vaccine is still in trials so that a safe and very effective vaccine can be produced for use in the elderly as well as pregnant women and even children.

Zika Virus Precautions:

The following precautions can be observed for anybody who is travelling to areas where the Zika virus is prevalent:
1. Firstly, travel to such areas by pregnant women is best avoided to prevent Zika virus infection.
2. For other travellers, take personal protection in the form of mosquito repellent and clothes with more coverage to prevent mosquito bites.
3. Avoid sexual contact with people in the area where Zika virus is endemic.