Zika

[zee-kuh]

noun

1. Zika disease,.  Zika fever,.  Zika virus disease. an illness caused by a chiefly mosquito-borne virus of the genus Flavivirus , typically characterized by mild fever, rash, and joint pain.

2. the virus that causes this illness; Zika virus.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Zika¹

First recorded in 1950–55, Zika is from the Luganda word zika “overgrown”; the virus was first identified in a rhesus monkey in the Zika Forest in Uganda

Example Sentences

Chikungunya fever spreads through bites from Aedes mosquitoes, the same insects that transmit dengue and Zika viruses.

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The Aedes mosquito, primarily Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus, is responsible for transmitting chikungunya as well as other major viruses like dengue, Zika, and yellow fever.

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Tamara had microcephaly - an abnormally small head - one of many conditions resulting from her mother being infected with the Zika virus while pregnant.

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Zika disappeared from the public eye, and families dealing with its long-lasting consequences have been largely forgotten.

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According to government figures, 261 children diagnosed with congenital Zika syndrome - a pattern of birth defects caused by infections during pregnancy - have died.

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