Zika virus is an RNA virus belonging to the Flavivirus family that is chiefly transmitted by the female Aedes mosquito. The Zika virus first infected humans in Uganda and Tanzania in 1952. Since, it has spread to several parts of the world causing outbreaks of variable extent. In India, these outbreaks have been reported from Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Kerala, and Maharashtra. The most recent outbreak is from the most populous state of India, Uttar Pradesh, where the climate is conducive to the breeding and transmission of other arboviral infections such as Dengue, Chikungunya, and Malaria. These infections also happen to share similar incubation periods and overlapping clinical manifestations with Zika virus (ZIKV) infection, leading to misdiagnoses or delayed diagnosis. We aim to provide an account of the outbreak, its repercussions, errors made in attempting to contain the spread of the disease, and, measures to be taken in the future.

The World Health Organization declared COVID-19 disease as a pandemic after the first cases from China were reported in December 2020. COVID-19, caused by SARS-CoV2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome), spreads by contact with infected droplets. The incubation period ranges from 2 to 14 days with initial symptoms of fever, sore throat, cough, fatigue, malaise, and breathlessness. In patients with co-morbidities and the elderly, it progresses to pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and multi-organ failure. Regarding the impact of the environment on the spread of the corona virus, more research is going on. Environmental factors including atmospheric temperature, ventilation, climate change, and humidity have been studied to understand the effect of these factors on COVID-19 spread. We have evaluated studies to date related to the environmental effect on COVID-19 and summarized them for better understanding.

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