A background review on zika virus infection with current update on Indian scenario

It was in Uganda that the Zika virus was discovered for the first time in 1947. Later in 1952, researchers isolated an infectious agent from rhesus monkeys. 60 years later, in 2007, the first outbreak of Zika virus happened in Brazil. Afterwards cases of infection were reported from Tanzania, Egypt, South Asia, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines. The most common reason for infection was travelling to infected regions. The main concern in this infection is microcephaly in new born babies and foetuses. In 2016, the first outbreak of Zika virus infection occurred in India, the first three cases were discovered in Gujarat and later one case was found in Tamil Nadu. After two years in two Indian states another outbreak was reported in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh with 153 and 130 cases, respectively. Infection spreads due to Aedes aegypti mosquito bites or sexual transmission. Zika virus symptoms include mild fever, rash, joint pain and conjunctivitis. It is necessary to conduct some serological and molecular analyses to diagnose infection. There is no specific vaccine or treatment for Zika virus infection till yet. In this review, we explored all the factors related to zika virus infection in detail, including virology, pathogenesis, diagnosis, prevention, and symptoms with special emphasis on cases in India.