Journal of Antivirals & Antiretrovirals
Open Access

Abstract

Zika Virus: Prospects for the Development of Vaccine and Antiviral Agents

Sita Awasthi

The recent Zika virus (ZIKV) outbreaks of 2013 in French Polynesia and 2015 in South and Central America are associated with Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) and microcephaly in infants born to the infected mother. Over 4500 new cases of microcephaly, a 20-fold increase in the number of cases in Brazil by early 2016 pressed World Health Organization to declare a public health emergency. In this article, a brief introduction to the recent ZIKV outbreaks and the prospects for the development of vaccines and antiviral agents are discussed.