That strain, researchers recently discovered, had been causing birth defects in Asia long before the Zika epidemic of 2016. Peterson of the CDC and others who study Zika and closely related viruses, including dengue, yellow fever and chikungunya, say they are worried the world is unprepared for the next outbreak. Compounding that fear, he said, is the possibility that Zika virus could find a host in animals, especially monkeys, making it even harder to control. Arboviruses like dengue, chikungunya and yellow fever provide something of a template for the future of Zika. Until 2015, Zika was an obscure and fairly harmless virus that produced flulike symptoms.

Source: Indian Express July 02, 2019 22:52 UTC