Zika virus (ZIKV), a mosquito-borne flavivirus closely related to yellow fever virus and dengue virus, is currently causing a large outbreak in the Americas. Historically, ZIKV infection was considered a sporadic, relatively mild disease characterised by fever, maculopapular rash, conjunctivitis and often arthralgia. However, current observational studies suggest that ZIKV may cause more severe neurological sequelae such as Guillain-Barre syndrome, and birth defects, mainly microcephaly, in babies of whom the mother was infected with ZIKV during pregnancy. This article provides a clinically focussed overview of ZIKV, with emphasis on the current outbreak, clinical manifestations, diagnostic tools and caveats.

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hdl.handle.net/1765/81448
The Netherlands Journal of Medicine
Department of Virology

Goeijenbier, M., Slobbe, L., Eijck, A., De Mendonça Melo, M., Koopmans, M., D.V.M., & Reusken, C. (2016). Zika virus and the current outbreak: An overview. The Netherlands Journal of Medicine (Vol. 74, pp. 104–109). Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/1765/81448


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