The History of Zika

Zika virus, which is spread through mosquito bites, tends to cause a low fever, skin rash and conjunctivitis (pink eye). 

However, when contracted by pregnant women, the virus may be linked with microcephaly (underdeveloped skull and brain) in affected developing babies. 

The virus was first identified in rhesus monkeys in Uganda in 1947, and in humans in 1952 in Uganda and Tanzania. In 2015, Zika outbreaks were confirmed in Brazil and Colombia.

The virus has also been reported in the U.S. In 2016, officials with the World Health Organization declared the virus and associated birth defects an international public health emergency.

An epidemiology team from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) arrived in Brazil today (Feb. 22) to investigate the link between Zika virus and microcephaly (small head and brain size).

The 16-member group is training its Brazilian counterparts in Joao Pessoa, Brazil, according to National Public Radio (NPR). After that, all of the researchers will collect data on 400 to 500 Brazilian women who have had babies in the past few months.

Using this information, the researchers will set up a case-control study that will help them analyze the various risk factors, be it Zika virus, rubella, malnutrition or environmental toxins, that could account for birth disorders, such as microcephaly.

"Having the data at this point in time are very critically important for understanding the impact Zika might be having in the future and as it spreads in the region," J. Erin Staples, a CDC medical officer leading the CDC team in Brazil, told NPR.

In the meantime, Brazilian researchers sequenced the genome of the Zika virus, according to a report from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. The researchers also isolated the virus from the brains of fetuses who had microcephaly and died shortly after birth, according to the news outlet Agência Brasil, providing more evidence that the virus is linked to the disorder.

Zika Identified in North Carolina Resident19 February 2016, 11:08 AM EST

North Carolina has identified its first case of Zika virus, health officials reported today (Feb. 19).

The patient is an adult who got the virus while traveling in a country with ongoing transmission of Zika. However, the person's symptoms have since resolved, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.

"As long as the outbreak continues in Central and South America and the Caribbean, we expect to see more travel-related Zika virus infections in our state," Dr. Randall Williams, the state health director, said in a statement. "While travel-related cases don’t present a public health threat to North Carolina, we always actively monitor emerging global situations and adjust resources to meet needs."