Zika Virus, from a Traditional Chinese Medicine perspective

Zika Virus is a mosquito-borne disease. Aedes mosquitoes are considered as main vectors.

Outbreak distribution: in tropical Africa and in some areas of Southeast Asia. Since 2007, several islands of the Pacific region have experienced outbreaks. In 2015, ZIKV disease outbreaks were reported in South America for the first time. ZIKV disease is now considered as an emerging infectious disease.

Pathology:

According to Wiki, Zika virus is enveloped and icosahedral with a non-segmented, single-stranded, positive-sense RNA genome. It is most closely related to the Spondweni virus and is one of the two viruses in the Spondweni virus. The pathogenesis of the virus is hypothesized to start with an infection of dendrite cells near the site of inoculation, followed by a spread to lymph nodes and the bloodstream. Flaviviruses generally replicate in the cytoplasm, but Zika virus antigens have been found in infected cell nuclei. : It was suggested that Zika virus can be sexually transmitted between humans.

Symptoms:

Most of the infections remain asymptomatic (between 60 to 80%). a short-lasting self-limiting febrile illness of 4–7 days duration without severe complications, with no associated fatalities and a low hospitalisation rate.

Symptoms are similar to other Flaviviruses, such as Dengue fever or Chikungunya; but are milder in form and usually last four to seven days.

Common symptoms include mild headaches, maculopapular rash. It is a red area on the skin that is covered with small confluent bumps, often starts on the face and then spreads throughout the body.); fever (low-grade), malaise, pink eye (e.g. light sensitivity), and joint pains, mainly in the smaller joints of the hands and feet). Muscle pain, vomiting. Zika fever has been a relatively mild disease with limited scope, with only one in five persons developing symptoms, with no fatalities, but its true potential as a viral agent of disease is unknown. For pregnant woman it has been suspected (but not proven) that a transplacental infection of the fetus may lead to microcephaly and brain damage.

Treatment

No vaccine or medications are available to prevent or treat Zika infections

Treatment from TCM perspective

In TCM, It is exterior pathogenic dampness heat（外感湿热） to be the cause of the disease.

由于湿热交织，则热不甚。湿浊伤清阳之气(湿甚阳微) 清阳出上窍，发腠理

，实四肢，故见头痛，湿热流注，邪伏膜原，见瘙痒，湿热入于血分，见疹斑，流注关节，则疼痛。邪客肝经，肝藏血，开窍于目，怕光，红眼，湿热蕴织中焦，胃失和降，则呕吐。

In TCM terms,

Owing to dampness and heat intertwined, patient develops mild fever, predominant turbid and moist pathogenic factors harm the “yang qi” which is characterised by lightness (轻扬) and upward mobility（上行）, the disruption of “Lucid Yang” (清阳) ascending to the upper orifices, causing the symptom of headache; The latent pathogen of dampness  heat in 膜原， (膜原 is the space outside the viscera in the neighbourhood of the stomach, and also in TCM term, usually indicating the position of pleura and the diaphragm), developing the symptom of itchiness, malaise. 

The dampness heat reaching the blood phase湿热入于血分, patient develops rashes, when reaching the joints, inflicting joints’ pain. The exterior pathogen stations in liver meridian, the function of liver is to store blood, the eye is the orifice to the liver, that evil（Dampness heat） causes pink eyes and light sensitivity. The evil (Dampness heat) in middle-warmer (中焦) ， the stomach loses the function of descending of “qi” causing vomiting.

It is all right if you can’t apprehend what a picture I was trying to depict. All the more, TCM is so much philosophical. That piece is just to determine the pathogenic factors and derive the following prescription based on the differentiation of symptoms and signs. (辩证求因).

TCM prescription:

生山栀3钱(Cape Jasmine Fruit)  片姜黄2钱(Gurcuma )  荆芥穗3钱(Schizonepeta Spike) 金蝉衣3钱( Cicada Slough) 生大黄（后下）2钱(Rhubarb)  白僵蚕2钱( Batryticated Silkworm)，飞滑石1两(Talc)，京赤芍3钱(Red Peony Root)  蕤仁肉3钱  (Prinsepia uniflora Batal)草豆蔻3钱 (Alpinia Katsumadai Hay.) 嫩青蒿3钱(Herb 0f Sweet Wormwood) 广藿香3钱(Cablin Patchouli)  北柴胡3钱(Bupleurum),  净连翘3钱(Capsule of Weeping Forsythia) 徐长卿3钱(Paniculate swallowwort root) 白花蛇舌草5钱 (Oldenlandia) 粉甘草1钱(Liquorice root)

Reference: Wikipedia