First Zika-positive blood donations in the continental United States.

First Zika-positive blood donations in the continental United States. HT: Croft.

BACKGROUND 

Zika virus (ZIKV) has spread in the Americas, including parts of the southern United States, and infection can be associated with serious complications, including congenital brain abnormalities. Probable transfusion transmission of ZIKV has been documented in Brazil. 

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS 

Preemptive testing of blood donations for ZIKV RNA was implemented in southern US states at risk of local transmission using a test approved under a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) investigational new drug application, cobas Zika. Screening was expanded after issuance of an updated FDA guidance. Donations reactive on initial screening were further tested by nucleic acid and antibody tests to determine the donor status. 

RESULTS 

Of 358,786 donations from US states screened by individual donation testing, 23 were initially reactive on cobas Zika. Fourteen of these represented probable ZIKV infection based on reactivity on additional nucleic acid testing or anti-Zika immunoglobulin M. 

Ten of the 14 donors reported travel to an identified ZIKV-active area within 90 days before donation (median time from end of travel to donation, 25 days; range, 6-71 days). 

Three donors with travel history also had a potential sexual exposure. Only seven of the 14 donations with probable ZIKV infection were detectable upon 1:6 dilution to simulate minipool testing. The estimated specificity of the cobas Zika test was 99.997%.  

CONCLUSION 

Screening of donations for ZIKV RNA can interdict ZIKV-infected donors. Donor risk factors include travel more than 4 weeks before donation and sexual exposure. Minipool screening would have detected only 50% of the RNA-positive donations.

Canada - Mosquito Surveillance Reveals the Aedes aegypti Species in Southern Ontario.

We need a new Map.

Canada - Mosquito Surveillance Reveals the Aedes aegypti Species in Southern Ontario. (Wechu). HT: Crof.

In the United States, the Aedes aegypti mosquito primarily exists in the southern states and along the eastern seaboard, where temperatures are more favourable for its survival. There are records of this mosquito being found in some northern states, including Michigan and New Hampshire; however, these were only temporary summer incursions, as the relatively cold winters prevented establishment. To our knowledge, this is the first time Aedes aegypti has been collected in Canada.  

Although it is unknown exactly how the larvae arrived in Ontario, one possibility is that the eggs were transported from the U.S. in shipping containers or other cross-border vehicle traffic. Aedes aegypti eggs could also have been imported in recycled products, such as tires or other containers. Given that this is a tropical mosquito, the extremely hot temperatures this past summer allowed for the species to exist in Windsor. 

“We will continue to ensure that our community stays informed about infectious diseases and the local mosquito surveillance program. It is a key public health service that we provide to Windsor-Essex County residents. The discovery of the yellow fever mosquito larvae through enhanced surveillance of the Aedes albopictus mosquito is an important reminder that we should continue to protect ourselves and our families from mosquito bites,” said Dr. Kirk.   

The Aedes aegypti mosquito is even less cold tolerant than the Aedes albopictus and will not survive the cold winter temperatures. For Zika virus transmission to occur, the Aedes aegypti mosquito would need to feed on an infected person, within the first several days of infection, and then feed upon another susceptible person. 

The greatest risk to contracting Zika virus continues to be centered on those who have travelled to Zika-risk areas (such as South America, the Caribbean and Florida) or who are or have been in sexual contact with these travelers. Read the full story here. More on this story here.

Medical research charity warns: "Expect ZIKA to spread to India and Africa".

Global map of the predicted distribution of Aedes albopictus, another mosquito of the Aedes family that researchers believe transmits the Zika virus. (1 = Full presence of Aedes mosquito, 0= No presence of Aedes mosquito) Source

Medical research charity warns:  "Expect ZIKA to spread to India and Africa". (Guardian).

The Zika virus, which causes brain damage in babies, is likely to spread to India and the continent of Africa, according to the director of the Wellcome Trust, a medical charity deeply involved in research to try to limit the damage.  

“I think we can anticipate global spread,” said Jeremy Farrar, speaking to the Guardian alongside Sue Desmond-Hellmann, the chief executive officer of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. “Given the [Aedes aegypti] mosquito’s availability across the world, I think the spread will next be across Asia and I think we really have to be prepared for it spreading in Africa. I don’t see any reason why it wouldn’t.” 

Last month, 16 pregnant women in Singapore were confirmed to have zika virus. “You can anticipate reports from Vietnam, from Indonesia, from India. I don’t think we’re even at the start of the Zika knowledge base yet,” said Farrar.

The two philanthropic organisations, together with the Brazilian, US and UK governments, have announced $18m (£14.7m) funding for an ambitious project to release mosquitoes infected with Wolbachia bacteria in two urban areas of Brazil and Colombia. The bacteria renders the mosquitoes unable to transmit viruses. They breed with local mosquitoes, producing offspring with Wolbachia, a bacteria carried by 60% of insects that is harmless to humans. 

If it works, it will help limit not just Zika but also other flaviviruses, including dengue and yellow fever. Read the full story here.

'Zika uncontrollable, will become endemic': CDC Director Tom Frieden.

'Zika uncontrollable, will become endemic': CDC Director Tom Frieden. (MiamiHerald). HT: Crof.

The nation’s highest ranking infectious disease expert delivered some sobering news on Zika to a Miami audience on Tuesday, telling them that the mosquito-borne virus is more widespread than Florida health officials have reported and that the rapid spread of pathogens such as Zika represents “the new normal” in an age of global travel and trade, booming cities and climate change.

“Here’s the plain truth: that Zika and other diseases spread by Aedes aegypti [mosquito species] are really not controllable with current technologies. So we will see this become endemic,” Tom Frieden, a physician and director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told a group of about 100 people gathered at the InterContinental Miami hotel for The Atlantic magazine’s CityLab conference.  

Frieden’s takeaway advice for public officials tasked with protecting the public from disease outbreaks: “Invest in public health,” he said. “It pays off.” 

Unprecedented in its ability to spread by sexual contact as well as mosquito bites, and to cause birth defects — most notably microcephaly in children born to mothers infected while pregnant — Zika took health officials by surprise this year, Frieden said, noting that there’s still a lot that scientists do not know about the virus’s effects. 

“Zika has surprised us,” he said. “It’s been difficult to predict. It’s had characteristics that we have not seen with other diseases before. What we anticipate will happen is that this season will calm down within the continental United States. We hope that Miami-Dade will stop having cases, but we can't promise that. ... We will see parts of the hemisphere where it will be endemic. It will come back every year.” 

And though Florida has reported 1,064 Zika cases, including 190 mosquito-borne infections, Frieden said the real number likely is much higher. 

“A rule of thumb,” he said, “is for every case you diagnose you’ve probably got 10 more.” Read the full story here.

Frieden's case total is correct, according to today's Florida Health Zika update, which mentions six new cases—two of them local.

Projecting the spread of Zika virus in the Americas.

Projecting the spread of Zika virus in the Americas: Three scenarios. (ZikaModel). HT: Crof.

Zika Model displays a map of the Americas (the US is not yet active on it), and when you click on a country you get a range of estimates for the number of possible cases of both Zika and microcephaly. 

The "reference scenario" assumes both Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus are competent vectors, and offers mid-range estimates based on the literature. The "aegypti scenario" assumes only Ae. aegypti is a competent vectors and again offers mid-range estimates. The "sensitivity analysis" scenario assumes both species are competent vectors and explores "the longest and shortest serial interval allowed by the range of parameters reported in the literature."

Click on Haiti, for example, and you find that the reference scenario projects a Zika attack rate of 46.8% by the end of 2016. Microcephaly cases by then could range from 294 to 1,399.

The site still doesn't include Cuba or the US, but I expect it will get a great deal of traffic when it does. In the meantime, I'm putting a permanent link to it in the Chikungunya, Dengue, Zika Resources list.

"Projections of Zika virus local transmission in the Continental US"

The Zika virus and how mosquito control becomes a bigger challenge.

Source CDC.

The Zika virus and how mosquito control becomes a bigger challenge. HT Crof; Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Disease.

The recent outbreaks of Zika virus infection occurring in South America, Central America and the Caribbean, represent the most recent of four key arrivals of arboviruses in the Western Hemisphere over the last 20 years. 

Zika virus is mainly vectored by Aedes mosquitoes. The development of effective and eco-friendly mosquito control methods is required in order to minimize the negative effects of currently marketed synthetic pesticides, including multidrug resistance. In this scenario, natural product research can afford solutions as part of integrated pest management strategies. 

In this review, we focused on neem (Azadirachta indica) products as sources of cheap control tools of Aedes vectors. Current knowledge on the larvicidal, pupicidal, adulticidal and oviposition deterrent potential of neem-borne products against the arbovirus vectors Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus is reviewed. 

Furthermore, we considered the rising importance of neem extraction by-products as sources of bio-reducing agents for the synthesis of nanoformulated mosquitocides. The last section examined biosafety and non-target effects on neem-borne mosquitocides in the aquatic environment.

Overall, we support the employ of neem-borne molecules as an advantageous alternative to build newer and safer Aedes control tools, in the framework of Zika virus outbreak prevention.  Read the full story here. (PDF paying Download).

Hmmmm..........In my humble opinion the area in which Zika could emerge is greater,, the Aedes albopictus also called the Asian tiger mosquito which transmits among other diseases:dengue (DENV-1, DENV-2, DENV-3, DENV-4), chikungunya (CHIKV), yellow fever (YFV), and Zika) West Nile virus. (See map below and link to my post of February 2016).

West Nile Virus transmitted by the Aedes albopictus also called the Asian tiger mosquito 

NASA: Mosquitoes carrying the deadly Zika virus could reach as far north as New York....And Canada?

NASA: Mosquitoes carrying the deadly Zika virus could reach as far north as New York....And Canada? (NYT).

Nasa is better known for its work in space - but has today revealed it is assisting public health officials, scientists and communities to better understand the Zika virus and try to limit the spread of the disease it causes. 

Scientists at the agency's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, partnered with the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado to produce a risk map.  

They hope it will help government agencies and health organizations better prepare for possible disease outbreaks related to the spread of the virus.

The research team looked at key factors including temperature, rainfall and socioeconomic factors that contribute to the spread of Zika virus to understand where and when a potential outbreak may occur.  

The researchers described their findings in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS Current Outbreaks. 

'This information can help public health officials effectively target resources to fight the disease and control its spread,' said Dale Quattrochi, NASA senior research scientist at Marshall. 

To determine the potential risk in the mainland United States, Morin, Quattrochi and their colleagues applied methodology being employed in their current vector-borne disease project to potentially identify and predict the spread of Zika in 50 cities across the U.S. in or near the known range of the species.  

The team has studied this mosquito species for years, because it also transmits the dengue and chikungunya viruses. 

The research team found that the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which is spreading the virus, will likely increase in number across much of the southern and eastern U.S. as the weather warms across those regions in the coming months.  

Summertime weather conditions are favorable for populations of the mosquito along the East Coast as far north as New York City and across the southern tier of the country as far west as Phoenix and Los Angeles. 

'The results generally confirmed many of our suspicions about the relative risk of Zika virus transmission in the U.S.,' said Cory Morin, a NASA postdoctoral program fellow with Marshall's Earth Science Office.  

'However, there were some surprises, such as the northern extent of Aedes aegypti potential survival during the summer months.' 

Hmmmm..........In my humble opinion the area in which Zika could emerge is greater,, the Aedes albopictus also called the Asian tiger mosquito which transmits among other diseases:dengue (DENV-1, DENV-2, DENV-3, DENV-4), chikungunya (CHIKV), yellow fever (YFV), and Zika) West Nile virus. (See map below and link to my post of February 2016).

West Nile virus cases in Canada Source here.

Zika - Predicted distribution of of A. aegypti and A. albopictus.

Source and download here.

This does not bode well for much of the southern and eastern US, or for much of the Midwest and central California. Or, for that matter, for the most densely populated region of Canada, from Windsor, Ontario to Montreal. We're not on the map, yet, but we'll have our hands full even if we have to deal only with imported cases of Zika, dengue, and chikungunya. HT & Source: Crof.

Based on the Agency's Rapid Risk Assessment, the overall risk to Canadians, in Canada, is very low, as mosquitoes known to transmit the virus are not established in Canada and are not well-suited to our climate.  http://www.cdc.gov/chikungunya/resources/vector-control.html

The primary risk of autochthonous transmission in Canada would arise from Aedes albopictus also called the Asian tiger mosquito becoming established here. Our knowledge of its current whereabouts is based on informal surveillance. More field research is needed in North America to better understand and predict the climatic limits of this species ^{Footnote 10}.

Several factors could alter this assessment. Temperatures suitable for chikungunya virus transmission are achieved at times in many parts of Canada during the summer Footnote 9, and it is possible that in some circumstances housing conditions and densities of uninfected people would be sufficient to sustain limited outbreaks. Furthermore, it is possible that genetic plasticity of mosquito species could improve their capacity to survive in cooler, more northerly climates, although this is difficult to predict ^{Footnote 10}. 

Source and more info (CDC) HERE.

Scientists in India claim to have made the World's First Zika Virus Vaccine.

Scientists in India claim to have made the World's First Zika Virus Vaccine. (NDtv).

Hyderabad:  In an important "Make in India" moment, scientists at a Hyderabad lab say they have developed the world's first vaccine against the Zika Virus. They say, in fact, that they have two.

The World Health Organisation has declared Zika and its suspected link to birth defects a global health emergency. More than 20 countries in Latin America have reported an outbreak and a rare case of the Zika virus being transmitted through sex has been reported in Texas, USA. 

As the world searches for a vaccine and other global companies take first steps on research, the Bharat Biotech International Limited in Hyderabad says it has patented the Zika vaccine.

"On Zika, we are probably the first vaccine company in the world to file a vaccine candidate patent about nine months ago," said Dr. Krishna Ella, Chairman and Managing Director, Bharat Biotech Ltd.

Using a live Zika virus imported officially, the Hyderabad company has now developed two candidate vaccines, but taking them through animal and human trials could be a long haul. Dr Ella said he had sought the government's support on this and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)has stepped forward to help.  

"We have just been informed about the Zika vaccine candidate that Bharat Biotech has. We will examine it from the scientific point of view and see the feasibility of taking it forward. It is a good example of a Make in India product," said Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, pediatrician and Director General, ICMR.   

Dr Ella said in a best case scenario his company can make one million doses of the vaccine in four months.  Read the full story here.

U.S. Confirms First Case Of #Zika Virus Transmitted Through Sex https://t.co/PjYkyJqoLq

— MFS - The Other News (@MFS001) February 3, 2016

Eurosurveillance: "Unprecedented" concurrent outbreaks of dengue, chikungunya, Zika virus in the Pacific

Eurosurveillance: "Unprecedented" concurrent outbreaks of dengue, chikungunya, Zika virus in the Pacific. HT: Crof.

Via Eurosurveillance: Concurrent outbreaks of dengue, chikungunya and Zika virus infections - unprecedented epidemic wave of mosquito-borne viruses in the Pacific 2012-2014. The abstract:

Since January 2012, the Pacific Region has experienced 28 new documented outbreaks and circulation of dengue, chikungunya and Zika virus. 

These mosquito-borne disease epidemics seem to become more frequent and diverse, and it is likely that this is only the early stages of a wave that will continue for several years. 

Improved surveillance and response measures are needed to mitigate the already heavy burden on island health systems and limit further spread to other parts of the world. 

Hmmm....In case you are wondering which mosquitoes carry Chikungunya....The same type that carry West Nile virus, north America be warned!

Hmmm....I've been posting quite a bit about Chikungunya these last months because i see a huge threat to the US, when this arrives in the US Wetlands. More on chik-V here and here.

PAHO: Almost 800,000 chikungunya case as of October 17 (it says here)

The Pan American Health Organization has posted its regular Friday update on chikungunya in the Caribbean and neighboring nations. 

We are now up to epidemiological week 42, but some countries are weeks if not months behind. If not for Ebola taking all the attention, this would be a big scandal.


The regional total is 759,742 suspected cases, plus 12,327 confirmed, plus 1,708 imported. But the Dominican Republic is still at week 38 (486,306 suspected cases, just 84 confirmed). Next door, Haiti hasn't bothered to report since week 28, so we know of only 64,695 cases when the true number must be closer to a million.

So it goes, week after week with no explanation. Download the PDF if you like, but don't bother to print it out. Paper is more valuable.