Zika Virus - GS questions based on daily current affairs

1)   Which of the following is/are true regarding Zika Virus?

1) Viral load is more in blood than semen.
2) Zika virus has been found in breast milk too.


a. Only 1
b. Only 2
c. Both 1 and 2
d. Neither 1 nor 2
Answer  Explanation 

ANSWER: Only 2

Explanation:

  • The viral load in semen is 100,000 times more than both blood and urine.
  • Zika virus has been found in breast milk but no case of infants getting Zika virus through breastfeeding reported.
  • Zika virus has also been detected in female genital tract including vaginal fluid.


2)   Which of the following are ways of transmission of Zika Virus?

1) Sexual Contact
2) From mother to foetus
3) Through saliva


a. 1, 2
b. 1, 3
c. 2, 3
d. All of the above
Answer  Explanation 

ANSWER: All of the above

Explanation:

  • Zika virus can spread through various ways.
  • There can be transmission through sexual and non-sexual ways.
  • The virus can spread through oral sex.
  • It can spread through saliva if oral mucus membrane is disrupted.


3)   Which of the following are symptoms of being affected by the Zika virus?

1) Rash
2) Vomiting
3) Arthralgia


a. 1, 3
b. 1
c. 1, 2
d. All of the above
Answer  Explanation 

ANSWER: 1, 3

Explanation:

  • Common symptoms of infection with the virus include mild headaches, maculopapular rash, fever, malaise, conjunctivitis, and arthralgia (joint pain).
  • The first well documented case of Zika virus was in 1964, beginning with a mild headache and progressing to a maculopapular rash, fever, and back pain.


4)   Zika virus first identified in

a. Uganda
b. Brazil
c. Venezuela
d. Nigeria
Answer  Explanation 

ANSWER: Uganda

Explanation:

  • Zika virus was first identified in Uganda in 1947.
  • Currently, Zika virus disease has been reported so far in the following countries; Brazil, Barbados, Bolivia, Columbia, Dominican Republic, Equador, El Salvador, French Guyana. Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, St Martin, Suriname, Virgin Island and Venezuela.
  • In humans, the virus causes a mild illness known as Zika fever, Zika, or Zika disease, which since the 1950s has been known to occur within a narrow equatorial belt from Africa to Asia.
  • 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.


5)   The Aedes mosquito spreads

1) Dengue
2) Chikungunya
3) Zika virus
4) Malaria


a. 1, 2, 3
b. 1, 2, 4
c. 1, 3, 4
d. All of the above
Answer  Explanation 

ANSWER: 1, 2, 3

Explanation:

  • Zika virus disease is an emerging viral disease transmitted through the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito (Aedes agypti). This is the same mosquito that is known to transmit infections like dengue and chikungunya.
  • There is no vaccine or drug available to prevent/ treat Zika virus disease at present.
  • A majority of those infected with Zika virus disease either remain asymptomatic (up to 80%) or show mild symptoms of fever, rash, conjunctivitis, body ache, joint pains. Zika virus infection should be suspected in patients reporting with acute onset of fever, maculo-papular rash and arthralgia.
  • Zika virus disease has the potential for further international spread given the wide geographical distribution of the mosquito vector, a lack of immunity among population in newly affected areas and the high volume of international travel. As of now, the disease has not been reported in India. However, the mosquito that transmits Zika virus, namely Aedes aegypti , that also transmits dengue virus, is widely prevalent in India.