Potential Zika virus spread within and beyond India (original) (raw)
Related papers
Threats of Zika virus transmission for Asia and its Hindu-Kush Himalayan region
Asia and its Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region is particularly vulnerable to environmental change, especially climate and land use changes further influenced by rapid population growth, high level of poverty and unsustainable development. Asia has been a hotspot of dengue fever and chikungunya mainly due to its dense human population, unplanned urbanization and poverty. In an urban cycle, dengue virus (DENV) and chikungunya virus (CHIKV) are transmitted by Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus mosquitoes which are also competent vectors of Zika virus (ZIKV). Over the last decade, DENV and CHIKV transmissions by Ae. aegypti have extended to the Himalayan countries of Bhutan and Nepal and ZIKV could follow in the footsteps of these viruses in the HKH region. The already established distribution of human-biting Aedes mosquito vectors and a naïve population with lack of immunity against ZIKV places the HKH region at a higher risk of ZIKV. Some of the countries in the HKH region have already reported ZIKV cases. We have documented an increasing threat of ZIKV in Asia and its HKH region because of the high abundance and wide distribution of human-biting mosquito vectors, climate change, poverty, report of indigenous cases in the region, increasing numbers of imported cases and a naïve population with lack of immunity against ZIKV. An outbreak anywhere is potentially a threat everywhere. Therefore, in order to ensure international health security, all efforts to prevent, detect, and respond to ZIKV ought to be intensified now in Asia and its HKH region. To prepare for possible ZIKV outbreaks, Asia and the HKH region can also learn from the success stories and strategies adopted by other regions and countries in preventing ZIKV and associated complications. The future control strategies for DENV, CHIKV and ZIKV should be considered in tandem with the threat to human well-being that is posed by other emerging and re-emerging vector-borne and zoonotic diseases, and by the continuing urgent need to strengthen public primary healthcare systems in the region.
The Zika virus (ZIKV), first discovered in 1947, has emerged as a global public health threat over the last decade, with the accelerated geographic spread of the virus noted during the last 5 years. The World Health Organization (WHO) predicts that millions of cases of ZIKV are likely to occur in the Americas during the next 12 months. These projections, in conjunction with suspected Zika-associated increase in newborn microcephaly cases, prompted WHO to declare public health emergency of international concern. ZIKV-associated illness is characterized by an incubation period of 3-12 days. Most patients remain asymptomatic (i.e., ~80%) after contracting the virus. When symptomatic, clinical presentation is usually mild and consists of a self-limiting febrile illness that lasts approximately 2-7 days. Among common clinical manifestations are fever, arthralgia, conjunctivitis, myalgia, headache, and maculopapular rash. Hospitalization and complication rates are low, with fatalities being extremely rare. Newborn microcephaly, the most devastating and insidious complication associated with the ZIKV, has been described in the offspring of women who became infected while pregnant. Much remains to be elucidated about the timing of ZIKV infection in the context of the temporal progression of pregnancy, the corresponding in utero fetal development stage(s), and the risk of microcephaly. Without further knowledge of the pathophysiology involved, the true risk of ZIKV to the unborn remains difficult to quantify and remediate. Accurate, portable, and inexpensive point-of-care testing is required to better identify cases and manage the current and future outbreaks of ZIKV, including optimization of preventive approaches and the identification of more effective risk reduction strategies. In addition, much more work needs to be done to produce an effective vaccine. Given the rapid geographic spread of ZIKV in recent years, a coordinated local, regional, and global effort is needed to generate sufficient resources and political traction to effectively halt and contain further expansion of the current outbreak.
Outbreaks of Zika have occurred not only in Africa, Southeast Asia, the Pacific Islands but also in South and Central America. Several travel-related Zika virus infections have been reported in countries in Europe and North America. With the increased reporting of Zika virus transmission in the Americas, countries should create and maintain the capacity to identify and confirm cases of Zika virus infection and effective strategies to reduce the mosquitoes that transmit the disease should be established. In a globalized world, infectious diseases can move faster and easier when vectors such as Aedes Egypti mosquito has become naturalized in several parts of the world. Although the natural transmission cycle of zika virus involves mosquitoes, especially Aedes spp, perinatal transmission, potential risk for transfusion-transmitted and sexually transmitted zika virus infections has also been demonstrated.
Zika Virus: A threat to global Public health- WHO Faramework Review
NeuroPharmac Journal
Zika virus is an emerging mosquito-borne virus that was first identified in Uganda in 1947 in rhesus monkeys through a monitoring network of sylvatic yellow fever. Background Zika virus is an emerging viral disease that is transmitted through the bite of an infected mosquito, primarily Aedes aegypti, the same vector that transmits chikungunya, dengue and yellow fever. Zika has a similar epidemiology, clinical presentation and transmission cycle in urban environments as chikungunya and dengue, although it generally causes milder illness. Symptoms of Zika virus disease include fever, skin rash, conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain, malaise and headache, which normally last for 2 to 7 days. National health authorities have reported an observed increase of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) and microcephaly. Today the Brazilian national authorities estimate 500,000 to 1,500,000 cases of Zika virus disease. In October 2015, both Colombia and Cape Verde, off the coast of Africa, reported their first outbreaks of the virus. As of 22 January 2016 Colombia had reported 16,419 cases, El Salvador 3,836 cases and Panama 99 cases of Zika virus disease. As of 12 February, a total of 39 countries in multiple regions have reported autochthonous (local) circulation of Zika virus, and there is evidence of local transmission in six additional countries. As per the health authorities India has not reported any case of Zika Virus. Health Authorities in India is taking adequate precaution to keep Zika Virus outside the India.
Zika Virus epidemic: Distribution and Effect of Containment Measures taken by Department of Health
Zika Virus Disease (ZVD) is an emerging disease in India. Symptoms are generally mild but it's infection during pregnancy can cause other congenital malformations in infants. Because of its complications in pregnancy it becomes of public health importance. There was an epidemic in Jaipur in year 2018. This study was conducted to describe the epidemiologic curve and effects containment measures initiated by department of health to control it. Public health response initiated within three kilometer radius area from index case in the form of tracing & isolation of positive cases, tracking of fever cases & pregnant females in affected area. Vector control measures were taken and effect of control measures were assessed by difference in entomlogical indexes like Breateau Index (BI) and House index (HI). Total 159 Zika positive cases detected in 38 days, out of that 6 were from routine surveillance and 153 were from active surveillance. No mortality was reported. Timely containment measures were taken. Effect of these containment measures were significant (p<001) in the form of reduction in number of cases, Breauteau Index (BI) and House Index (HI). Number of cases became zero whereas mean BI and mean HI became less than 2 which was initially 35.01 and 21.72 respectively. It is concluded that with prompt public health response and intersectoral coordination resulted in containment of the outbreak.
PRHSJ V37 Special Issue on Zika Virus
2018
Cover collage was made using a drawing by David Goodsell, Space-ll drawing of the outside of one Zika virus particle, and a cross-section through another as it interacts with a cell. e two main proteins of the viral envelope, the envelope proteins and membrane proteins, are shown in red and purple respectively. e lipid membrane of the envelope is shown in light lavender. e capsid proteins, in orange, are shown interacting with the RNA genome, in yellow, at the center of the virus. e cell-surface receptor proteins are in green, the cytoskeleton in blue, and blood plasma proteins in gold. Source: RCSB Molecule of the Month 197, June 2016, Wikimedia Commons; and a colour print of the yellow fever or dengue mosquito Aedes aegypti by Emil August Goeldi (1905), Source: Wikimedia Commons Wojna almost completely eliminated the mosquito population. However, we are at risk of future cyclic outbreaks of Zika, or combined infections of Zika and dengue, and need to be prepared. Not only to provide the needed community education, the health care required, but also the clinical translational research for a better understanding of the pathophysiology of the infection and the creation of treatment modalities.
ZIKV Outbreak in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India, 2021 -A Primary Report
Journal of Clinical Trials and Case Studies, 2023
The recent global outbreaks of the ZIKA Virus (ZIKV) reported in 85 countries and territories caused severe complications such as microcephaly among neonates and Guillain-Barre Syndrome among the older population. Recently, an outbreak of ZIKV was reported from Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of Kerala, India with about 70 confirmed cases. We conducted an outbreak investigation and the primary findings are described here. A cluster of ZIKV cases from the Kadakampalli / Anamugham administrative wards of the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation area was reported where Kerala Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) is located. Later many ZIKV cases were reported from other wards of the city. The density of known Aedes vectors was high in this region of the metropolitan city. Aedes albopictus, Aedes aegypti and Aedes vittatus collected from the focal area of the outbreak were found to be naturally infected with ZIKV. Male specimens of Ae. albopictus were naturally infected, indicating trans-ovarian transmission of the virus. This is first report of incrimination of Ae. albopictus and Ae. vittatus in ZIKV transmission from India. The virus was characterized and the partial sequences clustered with the Asian strain of ZIKV reported from India. The NS5 sequences of human and Ae. albopictus pools from Thiruvananthapuram were 100% similar indicating an ongoing active ZIKV transmission. The state health authorities were sensitized and appropriate containment and vector control measures have been initiated to contain the outbreak. This report underscores the importance of continued human and vector surveillance as well as genomic sequencing to understand the virus evolution and implications on public health.
Systematic Hospital-Based Travel Screening to Assess Exposure to Zika Virus1
Emerging Infectious Diseases, 2020
I ncidence of Zika virus (ZIKV) infections rose rapidly in early 2015, and local transmission was confirmed in 84 countries and territories by March 2017 (1). Although ZIKV typically causes mild symptoms (2,3), in utero infection can cause congenital Zika syndrome (4,5). The threat of in utero infection, along with sexual transmission (6,7), led to advisories for women who were pregnant, or might become pregnant, and their partners to avoid travel to countries or areas with ZIKV transmission (7-10). After implementing reactive screening during several global infectious disease outbreaks, including the 2014 Ebola outbreak, Mount Auburn Hospital (Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA) incorporated a standardized screening question regarding international travel into all hospital visits beginning in September 2015. To detect potential travel-associated exposures, patients were asked, "Have you traveled outside of the U.S. within the past 30 days?" Each quarter during November 1, 2015-October 31, 2016, we aggregated deidentified patient data to estimate the proportion of patients with potential ZIKV exposure and the possibility for congenital Zika syndrome. The Study During November 1-December 31, 2016, we retrospectively analyzed deidentified patient demographic, travel destination, and medical services data from the hospital database. We analyzed records from patients admitted as inpatients, and those seen in the emergency department/walk-in center (ED/WIC) and by other services during November 1, 2015-October 31, 2016. We included data from patients who responded "yes" to the travel screening question and provided a travel history and for whom diagnostic data were available. We categorized destination countries according to the World Health Organization 2016 classification for ZIKV transmission (11): category 1, countries that reported outbreaks from 2015 onward; category 2, countries with possible endemic transmission or evidence of local mosquitoborne ZIKV infections in 2016; and category 3, countries with evidence of local mosquitoborne ZIKV infections during or before 2015, but without documentation of cases in 2016, or designated as outbreak terminated. We defined reproductive age as 15-49 years of age for female patients and ≥15 years of age for male patients (12). We extracted records with International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, codes applicable to pregnancy, including Z33.1, Z34.91, Z34.92, Z34.93, and Z34.90, and diagnosis descriptions that met the Zika disease case definition (3), which includes fever, rash, arthralgia, conjunctivitis, complication of pregnancy, or Guillain-Barré syndrome. We performed analyses by using IBM SPSS Statistics 17.0 (IBM, https://www.ibm.com). The Mount Auburn Hospital Institutional Review Board determined the activity to be exempt from review and approval. We identified 5,642 patients who reported travel <30 days before their hospital visit. Of 5,004
A new global threat for the public safety: Zika virus
Zika virus, the etiological agent of Zika fever, is transmitted by mosquitoes and has been affecting the South American continent starting with 2015. It was reported in several European countries, carried by the people who returned from Latin America, as reported by the health authorities in those countries. Today, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), the virus suspected to cause serious birth defects in the fetus has also been confirmed in 21 of the 55 countries of South America, but also in other states from Europe and North America. Zika virus is a single stranded positive sense RNA virus belonging to Flavivirus genus (family Flaviviridae) and was first identified in 1947 in Uganda rainforest Zika. The increased number of cases of microcephaly, in children from northern Brazil, suggested a connection with Zika virus, but it has not yet been proven. Also, the virus can be transmitted sexually and through blood or blood products. Diagnosis of the infection is made usin...