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Zika spread: Serious concern

Most viruses, unlike bacteria, are merciless as they are obligate parasites. The pathogenicity of viruses, however, falls within a wide spectrum: benign to severe. In the world of infections, a group of viruses has recently been dubbed to have serious public health threat, which otherwise was known to have only milder effects. Zika virus, a member of family Flaviridae, has recently shown up causing outbreaks in South America with the disease Zika. The infection by this virus has been said to have links with a rare neurologic disorder called microcephaly, congenital malformation, in which normal growth of head as well as brain development of the fetus is impeded. Zika virus is a cousin of Dengue Virus as both of them fall in same family. Besides these two, Japanese Encephalitis, West Nile and Yellow Fever viruses fall in the same category. There is distinct similarity in the way of transmission of all viruses of this category. Zika as well as Dengue viruses are transmitted by the bit