Zika Virus

Zika virus is a member of the virus family Flaviviridae and the genus Flavivirus, transmitted by daytime-active Aedes mosquitoes, such as A. aegypti and A. albopictus

What is the Zika virus?

The Zika virus causes fever, joint pain, headaches, a rash, conjunctivitis and muscle pain. As with other viruses, it is characterised by spreading via the cells of the body. Both men and women can contract the disease. It is a member of the Flavivirus genus which is a member of the Flaviviridae family.

Zika prevention

Zika treatment

Zika Virus Symptoms

Zika Virus History

What is Vertical Transmission?

What Diseases Can You Get From Mosquitoes?

What Can Aedes Mosquitoes Transmit?

Zika transmission

Microcephaly Epidemiology

What are Neutralizing Antibodies?

The Science Behind Why Mosquitoes Prefer to Bite Certain People

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Zika Virus in Pregnant Women

What is Microcephaly?

Zika vaccine development

Zika Virus Research

Birth Defects

Zika and Guillain-Barré Syndrome

Zika diagnosis

Latest Zika Virus News and Research

Mitochondrial rewiring may explain why orthoflaviviruses harm humans but persist in mosquitoes

Orthoflaviviruses reshape mitochondrial structure, metabolism, redox signaling, and quality control differently across human and mosquito models, helping explain their contrasting infection outcomes. The review highlights mitochondrial pathways that may support acute cellular damage in vertebrates but persistent, non-lethal infection in mosquitoes, pointing to potential antiviral targets.

12 Aug 2026

NIH awards $2.4 million to study how maternal viral infections reprogram fetal immune development

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health has awarded a new, five-year $2.4 million R01 grant to Dr. Jiahui Ding, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the Wayne State University School of Medicine's C.S. Mott Center for Human Growth and Development, to support research that aims to uncover how viral infections during pregnancy reprogram the developing immune system of the fetus, influencing susceptibility to infectious diseases throughout life.

29 Jul 2026

New portable strip test accurately detects mosquito-borne viruses

A research team has developed a multisite bridging-mediated lateral flow immunoassay (mbLFIA) that enables highly sensitive, portable detection of mosquito-borne viruses, using Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) as a model target.

17 Jul 2026

New viral library helps scientists study thousands of proteins

To prevent viruses from sickening or killing us - whether it's an individual case of hepatitis B or a COVID pandemic - it's crucial to understand how the proteins they make initiate changes in our bodies that allow them to flourish.

11 Jul 2026

Researchers track genetic changes in Brazil's rare Sabiá virus

The Sabiá virus causes an acute hemorrhagic and neurological syndrome. Four fatal cases have been recorded in the state of São Paulo since 1990.

20 May 2026

Yale study finds garlic acts as birth control for mosquitoes

Garlic is not a substance that most people consider an aphrodisiac. It turns out that mosquitoes agree.

11 May 2026

Evidence of African lineage Zika virus circulation in neotropical primates in Southern Brazil

Announcing a new article publication for Zoonoses journal. Mosquito-borne orthoflaviviruses are maintained in cycles involving mosquito and vertebrate hosts.

23 Jan 2026

Unveiling Hidden Potential: Organoids for Disease Modeling in Neuroscience Research

In our latest interview, News-Medical speaks with Rosanna Zhang from ACROBiosystems about utilizing organoids for disease modeling in the field of neuroscience research.

From ACROBiosystems 6 Jan 2026

Understanding the impact of chikungunya on children

Chikungunya is a vector-borne disease that affects both adults and children. While global efforts are ongoing to tackle chikungunya in adults, progress in addressing pediatric chikungunya remains inadequate.

10 Oct 2025

Zika virus exposure during pregnancy permanently shapes offspring's frontline immune cells

A Wayne State University study published in the Oct. 3, 2025, issue of Nature Communications revealed that Zika virus exposure during pregnancy causes long-term, sex-specific changes to a baby's immune system, particularly affecting the frontline immune cells that fight infection.

6 Oct 2025

ISSCR expresses concern over NIH decision on fetal tissue research funding

The International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR), the largest professional organization of stem cell researchers from around the world, is concerned about a recent statement attributed to NIH that the agency will not renew research grants involving human fetal tissue (HFT), and that research with HFT is not conducted responsibly or transparently.

13 Sep 2025

Dengue antibody may block the spread of Zika virus in vulnerable areas of the body

A new study from the University of Alabama at Birmingham reveals that an antibody originally designed to fight dengue virus may also block the spread of Zika virus in vulnerable areas of the body - including the reproductive organs.

19 Aug 2025

Scientists say global conditions are ripe for a yellow fever pandemic

A new study in npj Viruses warns that global trends like urbanization, travel, and mosquito spread are amplifying the risk of yellow fever virus (YFV) expansion into the Asia-Pacific. Researchers caution that the conditions for a devastating YF pandemic are now more favorable than ever.

27 Apr 2025

Study reveals distinct infection strategies of Zika and dengue viruses

Zika virus and dengue virus are very close relatives. Both are mosquito-borne flaviviruses, and both specialize in infecting a host's dendritic cells.

25 Mar 2025

Oropouche virus: Emerging threats, symptoms, and prevention

Researchers provide an overview of the emerging Oropouche virus.

19 Mar 2025

Travelers warned about Oropouche virus in South American countries

Heading south for the winter? Oropouche virus, a new infectious disease, has been reported in travelers from Canada and the United States who visited Bolivia, Brazil, Peru, and Cuba.

17 Mar 2025

Zika virus hijacks tunneling mechanism to infect placental cells

Infection with Zika virus in pregnancy can lead to neurological disorders, fetal abnormalities and fetal death. Until now, how the virus manages to cross the placenta, which nurtures the developing fetus and forms a strong barrier against microbes and chemicals that could harm the fetus, has not been clear.

22 Feb 2025

The growing list of human viruses: Are we prepared for the next outbreak?

Researchers review the ever-growing list of human viruses, examining their diversity, transmission pathways, and the urgent need for prevention and global surveillance.

12 Feb 2025

Temperature and rainfall found to drive dengue fever dynamics globally

The research team led by KIM Jae Kyoung, Professor in the Department of Mathematical Sciences at KAIST and Chief Investigator of the Biomedical Mathematics Group at the Institute for Basic Science (IBS), has unveiled new insights into how weather influences the spread of dengue fever.

12 Feb 2025

Zika virus manipulates human skin to attract mosquitoes and boost transmission

Zika virus hijacks the skin of its human host to send out chemical signals that lure more mosquitoes to infect and spread the disease further, new research shows.

30 Jan 2025