'' Zika virus '' ( ZIKV ) is a member of the virus family '' Flaviviridae '' . It is spread by daytime-active '' Aedes '' mosquitoes , such as '' A. aegypti '' and '' A. albopictus '' . Its name comes from the Ziika Forest of Uganda , where the virus was first isolated in 1947 . '' Zika virus '' is related to the dengue , yellow fever , Japanese encephalitis , and West Nile viruses . Since the 1950s , it has been known to occur within a narrow equatorial belt from Africa to Asia . From 2007 to , the virus spread eastward , across the Pacific Ocean to the Americas , leading to the 2015 – 16 Zika virus epidemic
From 2007
2007 Yap Islands Zika virus outbreak
Zika virus