In 2016, news about the Zika virus in Brazil made the headlines in Europe for the first time. With approximately 65 million people affected, it is one of the largest epidemics in the last few years. The Olympics additionally fuelled fears that the virus could spread globally. When the first cases of newborns with microcephaly, i.e. malformations of the brain, were observed in connection to Zika, it became apparent that further research was called for. The DZIF responded to this global challenge and, under the leadership of Jan Felix Drexler, Charité – Universitätsklinikum Berlin, initiated a German alliance project with Brazilian scientists, which investigates the pathogenesis and epidemiology of Zika.
In 2016, news about the Zika virus in Brazil made the headlines in Europe for the first time. With approximately 65 million people affected, it is one of the largest epidemics in the last few years. The Olympics additionally fuelled fears that the virus could spread globally. When the first cases of newborns with microcephaly, i.e. malformations of the brain, were observed in connection to Zika, it became apparent that further research was called for. The DZIF responded to this global challenge and, under the leadership of Jan Felix Drexler, Charité – Universitätsklinikum Berlin, initiated a German alliance project with Brazilian scientists, which investigates the pathogenesis and epidemiology of Zika.
Population immunity is giving the virus less and less latitude
“The spread of the Zika virus in northeastern Brazil has been so intense that the current Zika epidemic could soon be over,” explains Drexler. People who have undergone Zika virus infections usually become immune against the virus. Consequently, fewer and fewer people can now contract Zika virus infections and subsequently serve as a source of the virus for mosquitoes. According to the authors of the study, “Outbreaks in the same region are therefore rather unlikely.” The Zika virus is currently spreading from Brazil to the neighbouring countries but, according to Drexler, may gradually fade out on its own. However, to date it is still unclear as to whether the virus can hide in other animals to then cause new outbreaks in humans.
Read more at German Center for Infection Research
Image: This picture shows a district in Salvador, the Brazilian metropolis where scientists have elucidated the Zika burden. (Credit: Ianei Carneiro)
