@article{29667, keywords = {Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), Zika virus, Environmental factors, Social Change, Women, Brazil}, author = {Sofia Ali and Olivia Gugliemini and Serena Harber and Alexandra Harrison and Lauren Houle and Javarcia Ivory and Sierra Kersten and Rebia Khan and Jenny Kim and Chris LeBoa and Emery Nez-Whitfield and Jamieson O'Marr and Emma Rothenberg and Max Segnitz and Stephanie Sila and Anna Verwillow and Miranda Vogt and Adrienne Yang and Erin Mordecai}, title = {Environmental and social change drive the explosive emergence of Zika virus in the Americas.}, abstract = {

Since Zika virus (ZIKV) was detected in Brazil in 2015, it has spread explosively across the Americas and has been linked to increased incidence of microcephaly and Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). In one year, it has infected over 500,000 people (suspected and confirmed cases) in 40 countries and territories in the Americas. Along with recent epidemics of dengue (DENV) and chikungunya virus (CHIKV), which are also transmitted by Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus mosquitoes, the emergence of ZIKV suggests an ongoing intensification of environmental and social factors that have given rise to a new regime of arbovirus transmission. Here, we review hypotheses and preliminary evidence for the environmental and social changes that have fueled the ZIKV epidemic. Potential drivers include climate variation, land use change, poverty, and human movement. Beyond the direct impact of microcephaly and GBS, the ZIKV epidemic will likely have social ramifications for women's health and economic consequences for tourism and beyond.

}, year = {2017}, journal = {PLoS neglected tropical diseases}, volume = {11}, pages = {e0005135}, issn = {1935-2735}, url = {https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5300271/pdf/pntd.0005135.pdf}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pntd.0005135}, language = {eng}, }