2015–16 Zika virus epidemic

2015–16 Zika virus epidemic
Countries and territories with active transmission of the Zika virus
November 21, 2016[1]
DateApril 2015 – November 2016

An epidemic of Zika fever, caused by Zika virus, began in Brazil and affected other countries in the Americas from April 2015 to November 2016. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the end of the epidemic in November 2016, but noted that the virus still represents "a highly significant and long term problem".[2] It is estimated that 1.5 million people were infected by Zika virus in Brazil,[3] with over 3,500 cases of infant microcephaly reported between October 2015 and January 2016.[4] The epidemic also affected other parts of South and North America, as well as several islands in the Pacific.[5]

Zika virus spread to Brazil from Oceania in 2013 or 2014. Brazil notified the WHO of an illness characterized by skin rash in March 2015, and Zika was identified as the cause in May 2015. In February 2016, the WHO declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern as evidence grew that Zika can cause birth defects as well as neurological problems.[6][7] The virus can be transmitted from a pregnant woman to her fetus, and can cause microcephaly and other severe brain anomalies in the infant.[8][9][10] Zika infections in adults can result in Guillain–Barré syndrome.[10] In approximately one in five cases, Zika virus infections result in Zika fever, a minor illness that causes symptoms such as fever and a rash.[11][12] Prior to the outbreak, Zika was considered a mild infection, as most infections are asymptomatic, making it difficult to determine precise estimates of the number of cases.[13]

The virus is spread mainly by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which is commonly found throughout the tropical and subtropical Americas. It can also be spread by the Aedes albopictus ("Asian tiger") mosquito, which is distributed as far north as the Great Lakes region in North America.[14] People infected with Zika can transmit the virus to their sexual partners.[15]

A number of countries were issued travel warnings, and the outbreak was expected to reduce tourism significantly.[7][16] Several countries took the unusual step of advising their citizens to delay pregnancy until more was known about the virus and its impact on fetal development.[17] Furthermore, the outbreak raised concerns regarding the safety of athletes and spectators at the 2016 Summer Olympics and Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro.[18][19][20]

  1. ^ "All Countries and Territories with Active Zika Virus Transmission". Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. November 21, 2016. Archived from the original on September 21, 2017. Retrieved September 8, 2017.
  2. ^ "WHO: Zika Virus No Longer International Emergency But Still a Threat". Newsline. November 21, 2016. Archived from the original on February 11, 2018. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  3. ^ Boadle A, Brown T, Orr B (February 18, 2016). "U.S., Brazil researchers join forces to battle Zika virus". Reuters. Brasilia. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved March 4, 2016.
  4. ^ "Microcephaly in Brazil potentially linked to the Zika virus epidemic, ECDC assesses the risk". News and Media. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. November 25, 2015. Retrieved January 18, 2016.
  5. ^ "Zika Map - Virus & Contagious Disease Surveillance". HealthMap. Archived from the original on August 21, 2016. Retrieved August 24, 2016.
  6. ^ "WHO Director-General summarizes the outcome of the Emergency Committee regarding clusters of microcephaly and Guillain–Barré syndrome". World Health Organization. February 1, 2016. Archived from the original on August 4, 2016. Retrieved February 2, 2016.
  7. ^ a b Stawicki, Stanislawp; Sikka, Veronica; Chattu, Vijaykumar; Popli, Raajk; Galwankar, Sagarc; Kelkar, Dhanashree; Sawicki, Stanleyg; Papadimos, Thomasj (2016). "The emergence of zika virus as a global health security threat: A review and a consensus statement of the INDUSEM Joint working Group (JWG)". Journal of Global Infectious Diseases. 8 (1): 3–15. doi:10.4103/0974-777X.176140. PMC 4785754. PMID 27013839.
  8. ^ Rasmussen, Sonja A; Jamieson, Denise J; Honein, Margaret A; Petersen, Lyle R (2016). "Zika Virus and Birth Defects — Reviewing the Evidence for Causality". New England Journal of Medicine. 374 (20): 1981–1987. doi:10.1056/NEJMsr1604338. PMID 27074377.
  9. ^ "CDC Concludes Zika Causes Microcephaly and Other Birth Defects". CDC. April 13, 2016. Archived from the original on May 31, 2016. Retrieved April 14, 2016.
  10. ^ a b "Zika Virus Microcephaly And Guillain–Barré Syndrome Situation Report" (PDF). World Health Organization. April 7, 2016. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 16, 2016. Retrieved April 8, 2016.
  11. ^ "Zika Virus". Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. November 5, 2014. Archived from the original on January 29, 2016. Retrieved August 24, 2016.
  12. ^ "Zika Virus". Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. November 5, 2014. Archived from the original on August 24, 2016. Retrieved August 24, 2016.
  13. ^ "Brazil Health Minister: Zika epidemic worse than thought". ITV News. January 28, 2016. Archived from the original on February 1, 2016. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
  14. ^ Kraemer, Moritz UG; Sinka, Marianne E; Duda, Kirsten A; Mylne, Adrian QN; Shearer, Freya M; Barker, Christopher M; Moore, Chester G; Carvalho, Roberta G; Coelho, Giovanini E; Van Bortel, Wim; Hendrickx, Guy; Schaffner, Francis; Elyazar, Iqbal RF; Teng, Hwa-Jen; Brady, Oliver J; Messina, Jane P; Pigott, David M; Scott, Thomas W; Smith, David L; Wint, GR William; Golding, Nick; Hay, Simon I (2015). "The global distribution of the arbovirus vectors Aedes aegypti and Ae. Albopictus". eLife. 4: e08347. doi:10.7554/eLife.08347. PMC 4493616. PMID 26126267.
  15. ^ "Zika Virus". CDC. November 5, 2014. Archived from the original on October 7, 2017. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
  16. ^ Kiernan, Paul; Jelmayer, Rogerio (February 3, 2016). "Zika Fears Imperil Brazil's Tourism Push". The Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones & Company. Archived from the original on February 26, 2016. Retrieved February 27, 2016.
  17. ^ "Zika virus triggers pregnancy delay calls". BBC News Online. January 23, 2016. Archived from the original on June 20, 2018. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
  18. ^ Rogers, Martin (February 25, 2016). "World Health Organization: Athletes should not fear Zika virus at Rio Olympics". USA Today. Archived from the original on February 11, 2018. Retrieved August 23, 2017.
  19. ^ Vox, Ford (February 12, 2016). "What real threat does Zika pose to the Rio Olympics? History has an answer". CNN. Archived from the original on April 25, 2016. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
  20. ^ "USA cyclist Tejay van Garderen withdraws from Olympics over Zika virus". The Guardian. June 2, 2016. Archived from the original on June 3, 2016. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.