Key points on Zika infection for the intensivist

Excerpt

Zika virus (ZIKV) infection or Zika is a new emerging arboviral disease in rapid geographic expansion, related to congenital malformations and neurological complications in adults. ZIKV was first isolated in 1947 in the blood of a sentinel rhesus monkey in the Zika Forest (Uganda) [1] and later from human samples in Nigeria in 1956. Until recently human infections were reported sporadically, with no major outbreaks. In 2007, the first major outbreak outside of its traditional endemic areas took place on the island of Yap (Micronesia) [2]. Subsequently, an outbreak in French Polynesia was recorded in 2013 with more than 30,000 cases [3]. Autochthonous transmission of ZIKV has been reported in South America since April 2015 [4]. Until March 2016, active transmission of ZIKV was observed in more than 40 countries and territories worldwide. …