Zika virus (ZIKV) is a mosquito-borne flavivirus that was originally discovered in 1947 (Dick et al. 1952). starting in Brazil in 2015 that revealed an association of ZIKV infection with fetal microcephaly and Guillain–Barré syndrome (Ministério da Saúde (Brasil) 2015; PAHO 2016b). This prompted the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare ZIKV a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on 1 February 2016 (WHO 2016b). In response to this emergency, research on ZIKV was intensified with the aim to provide evidence for the aetiological link between ZIKV infection and neurological sequelae, demonstrate the mechanisms of transmission and pathogenesis, set up accurate diagnostic tests, develop prophylactic vaccines and discover antiviral drugs. Although there are still knowledge gaps that require investigation, this intense recent research has rapidly produced impressive results, which are summarised and discussed in this review article.