The Impact Of Zika On Asian Countries May Be Graver Than We Thought

CHICAGO/BANGKOK (Reuters) ― Zika’s rampage last year in Brazil caused an explosion of infections and inflicted a crippling neurological defect on thousands of babies ― an effect never seen in a mosquito-borne virus. It also presented a mystery: why had a virus that had been little more than a footnote in the annals of infectious diseases taken such a devastating turn in the Americas? How had Africa and Asia, where Zika had quietly circulated for decades, escaped with no reports of major outbreaks or serious complications? Scientists initially theorized that Zika’s long tenure in Africa and Asia may have conferred widespread immunity. Or, perhaps older strains were less virulent than the one linked in Brazil to more than 2,100 cases of microcephaly, a birth defect characterized by arrested brain development. Now, amid outbreaks in Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and other parts of Southeast Asia, a much graver explanation is taking shape: perhaps the menace has been there all along but neurological complications simply escaped official notice. The question is driving several research teams, according to leading infectious disease experts and public health officials. The answer is immediately important for Asia, the region most affected by Zika after the Americas. Thailand has been hardest hit with more than 680 reported Zika infections this year, followed by Singapore with more than 450 and Vietnam with as many as 60. Much of the population lives in the so-called ...
Source: Science - The Huffington Post - Category: Science Source Type: news