Why is it called the Zika virus?
The Zika virus, discovered by Scottish virologist Alexander Haddow in 1947, is named after the forest where it was found. The forest is located on the equator, close to Lake Victoria in Uganda.
“It is a global epicentre of pathogens and viruses,” says Louis Mukwaya, head of the entomology department at the Ugandan Virus Research Institute (UVRI) and a world-renowned mosquito researcher. Leopards, snakes and monkeys live in its 24 acres, but breeding in its trees are more than 70 species of mosquito. Together, they harbour dozens of deadly pathogens that could potentially be transferred to man.
You can learn more in this article.