Basic information about Zika fever

Zika is spread mostly by the bite of an infected Aedes species mosquito (Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus). The Zika virus, first identified in Uganda 1947, is transmitted by the same type of mosquito that carries dengue fever, yellow fever and chikungunya virus.

The viral disease has spread by outbreaks to many different countries, with an ongoing outbreak in Brazil and Puerto Rico; the first diagnosis of Zika virus in the U.S. occurred in Harris County (Houston), Texas, in January 2016.

A mosquito bites an infected person and then passes those virus to other people it bites. These mosquitoes are aggressive daytime biters. They can also bite at night. Zika can be passed from a pregnant woman to her fetus. Infection during pregnancy can cause certain birth defects.

Aedes aegypti

For most people it is a very mild infection and isn't harmful. However, it may be more serious for pregnant women, as there's evidence it causes birth defects – in particular, abnormally small heads (microcephaly). There is no vaccine or medicine for Zika.

Many people infected with Zika virus won’t have symptoms or will only have mild symptoms. The most common symptoms of Zika are: fever, rash, joint pain (with possible swelling, mainly in the smaller joints of the hands and feet), conjunctivitis (red eyes), itching all over the body. Other symptoms include: muscle pain, headache.

 The virus causes born defects in babies born to some infected pregnant women. The CDC has confirmed Zika can spread through sex, usually after a person traveled to an area where Zika has broken out, got the virus, and gave the virus to a sex partner who did not travel. Infected women and men can both pass the virus to sex partners -- even if they haven’t shown symptoms of infection
Basic information about Zika fever

Reference
https://www.cdc.gov/zika/about/index.html 
http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/zika-virus-symptoms-prevention#1 
http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/zika-virus/Pages/Introduction.aspx 
http://www.medicinenet.com/zika_virus/article.htm