Zika virus facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Zika virus |
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| Electron micrograph of Zika virus. Virus particles are 40 nm in diameter, with an outer envelope and a dense inner core (source: CDC). | |
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Group IV ((+)ssRNA)
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Flavivirus
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Zika virus
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Zika virus (ZIKV) belongs to the virus family Flaviviridae and the genus Flavivirus. It is spread by mosquitoes from the genus Aedes, which are active during the daytime.
Zika virus is named after Uganda's Zika Forest, where the virus was discovered in 1947.
Zika virus can cause an infectious disease called Zika fever. Zika fever often causes no symptoms, or only mild symptoms. Scientists know that people in Africa and Asia have been getting Zika fever since the 1950s. In 2014, the virus spread eastward across the Pacific Ocean - first to French Polynesia, then to Easter Island. Finally, in 2015, it spread to Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and South America. In these places, Zika virus has become a pandemic.
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Background
Zika virus is related to West Nile virus and the the viruses that cause dengue fever, yellow fever, and Japanese encephalitis. Zika virus causes an illness that is like a mild form of dengue fever. It is treated by rest. As of 2016, there is no medication or vaccine that can prevent the Zika virus.
Pregnant women who get the Zika virus can spread the virus to their fetuses. When they are born, these newborns may be more likely to have microcephaly. In places where the Zika virus lives, people are more likely to have birth defects, neurological problems like Guillain-Barré syndrome, and autoimmune diseases.
2016 outbreak
In January 2016, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published advice for how to avoid getting Zika fever. They suggested that when traveling to places where Zika virus lives:
- Travelers should use "enhanced precautions," meaning they should be as careful as possible to avoid getting bitten by mosquitoes
- Pregnant women should think about not traveling to these areas
Other governments or health agencies soon issued similar travel warnings. Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, and Jamaica advised women not to get pregnant until scientists know more about the risks of Zika virus to pregnant women.
On February 2, 2016, public health officials in Dallas County, Texas, reported the first case of somebody getting Zika virus in the United States.
Images for kids
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Global Aedes aegypti predicted distribution. The map depicts the probability of occurrence (blue=none, red=highest occurrence).
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Rash on an arm due to Zika
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Countries that have past or current evidence of Zika transmission (as of January 2016)
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Spread of Zika in Africa and Asia, based on molecular sequence data.
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Image of a baby with microcephaly (left) compared to a normal baby (right). This is one of the potential effects of Zika virus. Signs of microcephaly may develop a few months after birth.
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See also
In Spanish: Virus del Zika para niños
