Zika: An enormous public health challenge for a miniscule virus

Zika virus (ZIKV) infection has recently affected 4 million people across the globe. The World Health Organization has declared Zika a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern”. The disease is caused by an arbovirus and transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes. Zika has followed a pattern already set in by Dengue and Chikungunya viruses. The virus exists in sylvatic form with spillovers to humans. The present outbreak in Brazil started in May 2015 and spread rapidly to Latin America and the Caribbean. The rapid spread is due to availability of non-immune population. The main concern of Zika is the association with microcephaly in infants and Guillain-Barré (GB) Syndrome. During the current Zika outbreak in Brazil, incidence of microcephaly in infants has shown a 20-fold rise. Increased incidence of GB Syndrome has been noticed during the 2013 outbreak in French Polynesia, and the current outbreak. However, causality has not been proved. It is possible that the ZIKV may enter and get established in India. Surveillance against the disease needs to be scaled up. Research needs to be undertaken regarding the dynamics of Zika spread and the development of vaccines. Inter-sectoral coordination and bottom-up approach along with vector control measures under the ambit of National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme may help fight the virus.