• Roosecelis Brasil Martines, Julu Bhatnagar, M Kelly Keating, Luciana Silva-Flannery, Atis Muehlenbachs, Joy Gary, Cynthia Goldsmith, Gillian Hale, Jana Ritter, Dominique Rollin, Wun-Ju Shieh, Kleber G Luz, Ana Maria de Oliveira Ramos, Helaine Pompeia Freire Davi, Wanderson Kleber de Oliveria, Robert Lanciotti, Amy Lambert, and Sherif Zaki.
• MMWR Morb. Mortal. Wkly. Rep. 2016 Feb 19; 65 (6): 159-60.

AbstractZika virus is a mosquito-borne flavivirus that is related to dengue virus and transmitted primarily by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, with humans acting as the principal amplifying host during outbreaks. Zika virus was first reported in Brazil in May 2015 (1). By February 9, 2016, local transmission of infection had been reported in 26 countries or territories in the Americas.* Infection is usually asymptomatic, and, when symptoms are present, typically results in mild and self-limited illness with symptoms including fever, rash, arthralgia, and conjunctivitis. However, a surge in the number of children born with microcephaly was noted in regions of Brazil with a high prevalence of suspected Zika virus disease cases. More than 4,700 suspected cases of microcephaly were reported from mid-2015 through January 2016, although additional investigations might eventually result in a revised lower number (2). In response, the Brazil Ministry of Health established a task force to further investigate possible connections between the virus and brain anomalies in infants (3).

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