Zika virus: 2.2 billion people in 'at risk' areas

http://www.bbc.com/news/health-36090650

Zika virus: 2.2 billion people in 'at risk' areas

By James Gallagher
Health editor, BBC News website


9 hours ago


More than two billion people live in parts of the world where the Zika virus can spread, detailed maps published in the journal eLife show.
(snip)

The latest research showed mapping Zika was more complex than simply defining where the mosquito can survive.
(snip)

By learning where Zika could thrive the researchers could then predict where else may be affected. The researchers confirmed that large areas of South America, the focus of the current outbreak, are susceptible. In total, 2.2 billion people live in areas defined as being "at risk".
(snip)

The at-risk zones in South America include long stretches of coastline as well as cities along the Amazon river and its tributaries snaking through the continent.

And in the US, Florida and Texas could sustain the infection when temperatures rise in summer.

Dr Brady added: "Mosquitoes are just one condition needed for Zika to spread but there's a whole range of other ones. It needs to be warm enough for Zika to replicate inside the mosquito and for there to be a large enough [human] population to transmit it."

Both Africa and Asia have large areas that could be susceptible to the virus, the researchers said.

However, the study cannot answer why large numbers of cases have not already been reported. One possible explanation is that both continents have already had large numbers of cases and the populations there have become largely immune to the virus.
(snip)