The current outbreak of Zika virus (ZIKV) in South America is one of the most serious public health emer-gencies since the Ebola outbreak of West Africa [2014]. ZIKV belongs to the flaviviridae family and has two
lineages (Asian and African). The virus was first discovered in Uganda [1947] and the first human infec-tion was identified in Nigeria [1952]. The current epidemic is the third of its type after that of Yap Island,
Micronesia [2007] and French Polynesia [2013].