First record of Zika virus in Yemen

Rania Nada; Hanan El Mohammady; Isabelle Nakhla; Ismail Attia; Qasem Buhaibeh; Ali Al Waleedi; Waheed Al Bakhshi; Yasser Bahshem

doi:10.1016/j.crpvbd.2026.100388

First record of Zika virus in Yemen

Curr Res Parasitol Vector Borne Dis. 2026 May 16:9:100388. doi: 10.1016/j.crpvbd.2026.100388. eCollection 2026.

Authors

Rania Nada¹, Hanan El Mohammady², Isabelle Nakhla², Ismail Attia², Qasem Buhaibeh³, Ali Al Waleedi⁴, Waheed Al Bakhshi⁵, Yasser Bahshem⁶

Affiliations

¹ U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit - EURAFCENT, Egypt.
² Goldbelt Apex, Contracted Support to U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit-EURAFCENT, Egypt.
³ Ministry of Health, Aden, Yemen.
⁴ Primary Health Care, Ministry of Health, Aden, Yemen.
⁵ Central Public Health Laboratory, Ministry of Health, Aden, Yemen.
⁶ National Malaria Control Program, Ministry of Health, Aden, Yemen.

Abstract

Zika virus (ZIKV) is mainly transmitted by Aedes aegypti worldwide. Despite mosquito endemicity, ZIKV has not been reported previously in Yemen. We screened 186 acute febrile patients using qPCR; of these, 8 (4.3%) were ZIKV-positive. This is the first record of ZIKV in Yemen and the Arabian Peninsula, highlighting the need for enhanced regional surveillance.

Keywords: Aedes aegypti; Dengue; Yemen; Zika virus.