Who discovered the zika virus?
The earliest journal reference I've been able to locate so far is an article in 1952:
Dick GW, Kitchen SF, Haddow AJ. Zika virus. I. Isolations and serological specificity. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg. 1952;46:509-520
Which states: "
Zika virus was first isolated from a sentinel rhesus monkey placed in the Zika Forest near Lake Victoria, Uganda in April 1947."
By then the name was already established, but it doesn't say who first provided the name. It is possible that one of the authors of the 1952 paper might have been involved in the initial identification but that's, at best, a guess.
Researchers in 1947 found it in the Zika Forest but one person can be said to have found it. It was not thought to be infectious until 1964 when David Simpson was working with Zika strains in Uganda when he fell ill from the virus and published a study on his observations of the infection. The science community still had no idea how bad this virus could be.
Zika virus was discovered in Uganda, Africa in 1947. Zika virus is a mosquito borne disease & is carried by the same mosquito that carries dengue, yellow fever and chikungunya. The person infected with Zika virus may suffer from fever, joint pain, rashes, and headache. You can prevent yourself from getting infected with Zika virus by following some easy steps.
The virus is not know to cause death directly, but sometimes it does cause secondary problems that can lead to death. Zika virus infections have been linked to Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) with a few cases of Zika related GBS resulting in death. Birth defects caused by Zika can be life threatening though.
According to the CDC, Zika virus stays in the blood for 2 to 7 days after the symptoms pass. However, it stays in urine and semen for up to a few months after the infection. If a person is trying to conceive after having Zika virus, both partners should consult with a physician to make sure it is safe. They can be tested to verify there are no signs of an active virus remaining.
The virus was first isolated in April 1947 from a rhesus macaque monkey that had been placed in a cage in the Zika Forest of Uganda, near Lake Victoria, by the scientists of the Yellow Fever Research Institute. Eventually - around 1952 - researchers realized that some people were getting sick from the same virus.
The first way the Zika virus can be spread is by actually encountering the mosquito. The mosquito then can inject the virus into your body. The mosquito picks it up while feeding on an infected person or animal. The second way is through bodily function sharing. There are currently several incidents of people having sexual intercourse with an infected person and contracting the virus. The third way is a pregnant woman transmitting it to her…
The Zika virus usually produces symptoms so mild that many people don't even realize they are infected. It seldom puts anyone in the hospital, much less kills them; a few people die from Zika, but deaths are very rare. The deadly part of the virus comes from the effects on babies born to women infected with the virus during while pregnant with the baby. The virus causes microcephaly in the baby, which can cause life…
According to the US CDC the primary vector for the transmission of the zika virus are infected Aedes species mosquitos (Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus). Other vectors are infected mothers who transmit it to their unborn children, infected men who may transmit it to their sexual partners, blood transfusions from infected people, and (very rarely) exposure in a laboratory where research is being performed on the virus.
Zika has been known to exist since 1947, but was long considered to be a minor disease that causes only mild illness. The mosquito, Aedes aegypti is spreading the Zika. This is not some jungle-dwelling insect that rarely comes into contact with people. It is one of those animals, like cockroaches, pigeons and urban foxes, that thrives in built-up areas. The virus can be transmitted by sexual contact as well by the mosquito. It will…
The biggest problem with Zika is that Zika virus infection during pregnancy can cause a serious birth defect called microcephaly. Microcephaly is a condition where a baby's head is much smaller than expected. Babies with microcephaly can have a range of other problems, depending on how severe their microcephaly is. Microcephaly has been linked to: Seizures Developmental delay, such as problems with speech or other developmental milestones (like sitting, standing, and walking) Intellectual disability (decreased…
Not all mosquitoes carry a virus. However, where a mosquito has already bitten someone and then goes on to bite another person, some types of virus can be passed from the first person to the second person by the mosquito. One virus that is certainly transmitted this way by mosquito bites is the Zika virus but there are also others and it should also be noted that Mosquitoes can also pass on other illnesses with…