Zika Virus, Elevation, and Transmission Risk

We present this exploration not as a final analysis or set of recommendations, but rather as a suggestion to reconsider the too simple “elevational cutoff,” as it neglects the complex phenomena that drive disease transmission. The real-world translation of this concern is that travel to high-elevation Equatorial destinations is not at all without risk of Zika transmission, such that 2000 m is too low for those regions, whereas 2000 m will be too high for higher-latitude regions. At a minimum, travel guidelines should take into account the interaction between elevation and latitude; detailed climate data, suitability for key mosquito species, and information on mitigation efforts should be used to assemble a still-more-realistic approach for identifying risk areas for Zika virus transmission. COMPETING INTERESTS The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT All data underlying the analyses presented in this publication are available at http://hdl.handle.net/1808/20727.
Source: PLOS Currents Outbreaks - Category: Epidemiology Authors: Source Type: research