Zika is the name of a new virus that’s doing the rounds across many parts of the world. The World Health Organization has warned against the spread of the disease, which appears to be at a rather explosive rate, and threatens to affect countries like India.
Zika is essentially transferred through the bite of an infected female Aedes mosquito, and currently, there isn’t any treatment or vaccine available. If one is affected by the Zika virus, they will wind up with symptoms such as mild fever, skin rashes, conjunctivitis and muscle fatigue. The symptoms usually last from two to seven days.

The Zika virus has already begun to spread in the Americas, and has the potential to infect up to four million people. The WHO has issued a warning to all countries, including India. The Aedes Aegypti mosquito carries the Zika virus, and it is believed to have the capacity to cause brain damage in babies.
The mosquito also carries the viruses that cause Dengue and Chikungunya. The WHO has said that a direct causal relationship between Zika virus infection and birth defects have not yet been established, but the connection is strongly suspected.
Health authorities in Brazil in 2015 observed a rise in the number of babies born with microcephaly at the same time when the Zika outbreak was seen. About 4,000 cases of microcephaly have been reported in Brazil since September 2015. It may be dangerous to India as the same type of mosquito that spreads dengue, chikungunya and yellow fever.