The Zika (or Ziika) Forest ( /ˈziːkə/) is a tropical forest near Entebbe in Uganda.[1] Ziika means 'overgrown' in the Luganda language. As the property of the Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) of Entebbe, it is protected and restricted to scientific research.[1]
The forest covers an area of about 25 hectares (62 acres) next to the swamps of Waiya Bay, an inlet of Lake Victoria. Easily accessible and combining several ecosystems, the Zika Forest is well suited to the study of mosquitoes.[1] According to the UVRI, the size of the research area of the forest is about 12 hectares (30 acres).[2] The forest has a rich biodiversity in plants and moths, and is home to about 40 types of mosquitoes. The UVRI also maintains an insectarium.
The forest is also accessible to visitors for bird watching. Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter once visited the forest for that purpose.[2]
The Zika virus as well as the moths Sidisca zika and Milocera zika are named after the forest.
The Zika Forest is where the infected Aedes mosquito first spread Zika to rhesus monkeys, then spreading further to humans.[3]
- ^ a b c Kaddumukasa, M. A.; Mutebi, J.-P.; Lutwama, J. J.; Masembe, C.; Akol, A. M. (26 December 2015). "Mosquitoes of Zika Forest, Uganda: Species Composition and Relative Abundance". Journal of Medical Entomology. 51 (1): 104–113. doi:10.1603/ME12269. ISSN 0022-2585. PMC 6555620. PMID 24605459.
- ^ a b "Resources and Facilities". Department of Entomology. Uganda Virus Research Institute. 4 February 2014. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
- ^ "The history of zika virus". www.who.int. Retrieved 22 February 2022.