Southern Europe: It has been noted that Southern Europe, including Portugal, Spain, Southern France, Italy, Corsica and Greece, has experienced resurgence in vector borne diseases over the last decade [4]. In terms of virus infections transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes, these diseases include dengue virus infection in Madeira off the coast of Portugal in 2012–13, and chikungunya in Italy, Spain, France, and Italy beginning in 2007 [4]. Although the major Aedes species found in Southern Europe, the Asian tiger...
The Middle East: Ae. aegypti is found in the western area of the Arabian Peninsula that includes Saudi Arabia and Yemen [6], [7] (Fig. 1).
Beginning in 1992 human migrations during the Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages from Asia introduced dengue fever through Jeddah and from there into the region [8]. As a result, dengue fever remains endemic to Saudi Arabia and Yemen [9]. Could the Hajj or Umrah pilgrimages also introduce Zika into the Middle East? This is a real possibility that needs to be seriously considered. In...
Africa: One of the big unknowns about Zika virus infection is the current extent of the African strain that was first isolated from Uganda more than 60 years ago. If indeed the African strain was widespread and induced protective immunity to the pandemic strain of Zika, the possibility remains that parts of the African continent could be partially protected against Zika virus introduction. However, it is equally likely that Zika could affect Africa, much as yellow fever is now causing a serious...
Asia and beyond: Just as India and Indonesia are experiencing some of the worst dengue problems anywhere in the world [9], we will need to assume the possibility that these and neighboring countries could also be at risk for Zika virus infection. As in Africa, a big unknown is the extent to which the African strain previously affected these nations resulting in an immunized population.
Zika virus will need to become front and center of the Global Health Security Agenda that was established as an international...
Read the full article in Microbes and Infection.
