Abstract

BROGUEIRA, Pedro  and  MIRANDA, Ana Cláudia. Zika Virus: Emergence of an Old Known. Medicina Interna [online]. 2017, vol.24, n.2, pp.146-153. ISSN 0872-671X.

Zika virus was first discovered in Uganda seventy years ago and the first human infection was reported in Nigeria in 1952. The virus has been responsible for sporadic infection cases in Africa and Asia. In 2007, for the first time since its discovery, Zika virus was responsible for infecting about three quarters of the population from a pacific island, where a benign and self-limited clinical course was verified. Six years later, an unprecedented epidemic occurred in French Polynesia, between 2013 and 2014. For the first time there were descriptions of Guillain-Barré syndrome as a complication associated with the infection. Zika virus is estimated to have been introduced in Brazil at this time. By the end of 2015, a rising number of cases of microcephaly and other fetal malformations reported in this country seem to be possibly related to the Zika epidemic, a fact with growing evidence. At the moment, autochthonous transmission is known to occur in more than seventy countries by way of vectorial transmission through Aedes mosquitos. Sexual transmission has been reported in several countries with imported cases. However, its real impact in the current pandemic is not known, as it is difficult to determine the transmission in countries where vectorial transmission occurs. Current strategies in prevention of the infection and its dissemination include vector control and individual protective measures.

Keywords : Pandemics; Zika Virus; Zika Virus Infection.

        · abstract in Portuguese     · text in Portuguese     · Portuguese ( pdf )