Zika came to Brazil 2 years before it was detected, study finds

Zika came to Brazil 2 years before it was detected, study finds

PanARMENIAN.Net - The worrisome Zika virus apparently has been in Brazil at least a year longer than experts previously thought, the Associated Press reports citing a new research.

Some experts have speculated the virus first came to the Americas sometime in 2014. But the new study — led by Brazilian researchers — concludes Zika landed in Brazil a year earlier.

The researchers coupled cutting-edge genetic sequencing of the virus with an analysis of human travel patterns.

They succeeded in piecing together "a very compelling story about both the route and the date of introduction of this virus into the Americas," said Dr. Ian Lipkin, a prominent infectious disease specialist at New York's Columbia University.

Zika virus was first identified in Uganda in 1947. It is spread mainly by mosquitoes that bite infected people and then spread it to others. Most infected people suffer no symptoms. Others get only a mild, week-long illness.

For decades it was considered exotic and non-threatening. The virus began to pop up in other parts of the world in the last decade, but it was not detected in the Americas until last year, when it was reported in Brazil.

The new research is based on blood and brain tissue samples taken last year from seven Brazilians. One was a blood donor from the southeast part of the country The other six were from northern Brazil, where Zika virus disease outbreaks — and Zika-associated birth defects — have been most pronounced.

The researchers extracted genetic and found the virus specimens were similar to each other, and most closely related to Zika virus found in French Polynesia in 2013.

Some scientists have speculated the virus first landed in Brazil in 2014. But viruses mutate over time and from place to place. The small amount of genetic change suggests it arrived in 2013, and at a single location, the researchers concluded.

 Top stories
Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive.
In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million).
The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot".
The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads.
Partner news
---