Mosquito-transmitted viruses – the great Brazilian challenge

Abstract

Arboviruses pose a serious threat to public health worldwide, overloading the healthcare system and causing economic losses. These viruses form a very diverse group, and in Brazil, arboviruses belonging to the families Flaviviridae and Togaviridae are predominant. Unfortunately, the number of arboviruses increases in proportion with factors such as deforestation, poor sanitation, climate changes, and introduction of new viruses like Chikungunya virus and Zika virus.In Brazil, dengue is endemic, along with the presence of other arboviruses. The situation is complicated by the scarcity of diagnostic infrastructure and the absence of approved vaccines for these diseases. Disease control, thus, relies solely on vector control. Therefore, enhanced clinical knowledge and improved general awareness about these arboviruses are indispensable to tackle diagnostic inadequacies.

Paper‐based point‐of‐care testing for cost‐effective diagnosis of acute flavivirus infections

“…Arbovirus infections are viral diseases transmitted by bloodsucking arthropods (mosquitoes, ticks, sand flies or culicoides). The arboviruses can be mainly classified in seven virus families, including the Flaviviridae (genus Flavivirus ) with the yellow fever virus (present in Africa and Americas), dengue virus, West Nile virus (in Africa, South Asia, Americas), the Japanese encephalitis virus (in South Asia), the Saint Louis encephalitis virus (in Americas) or the Zika virus that is now emerging in Africa, Asia, and the Americas …”

“…The arboviruses can be mainly classified in seven virus families, including the Flaviviridae (genus Flavivirus) with the yellow fever virus (present in Africa and Americas), dengue virus, West Nile virus (in Africa, South Asia, Americas), the Japanese encephalitis virus (in South Asia), the Saint Louis encephalitis virus (in Americas) or the Zika virus that is now emerging in Africa, Asia, and the Americas. 3,4 Clinical manifestations of these diseases are often asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic with an acute self-limiting febrile syndrome in a few days that includes headache, retro-orbital pains, sometime rash.…”

Emerging arboviruses in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil: Chikungunya and Zika outbreaks, 2014‐2016

“…14 In 2007, an epidemic of ZIKV infection occurred in the Pacific Island of Yap 15 ; from 2013, this Asian lineage caused epidemics in other Pacific Islands. 16 It is believed that ZIKV was introduced into Brazil in 2014, with the first autochthonous case confirmed in 2015 12,17,18 and then spread to other countries in South America and Central America; imported cases have also been reported in North America and Europe. 16 Rio Grande do Sul (RS), the southernmost Brazilian State, lies within the south temperate zone and is predominantly humid subtropical.…”

“…16 It is believed that ZIKV was introduced into Brazil in 2014, with the first autochthonous case confirmed in 2015 12,17,18 and then spread to other countries in South America and Central America; imported cases have also been reported in North America and Europe. 16 Rio Grande do Sul (RS), the southernmost Brazilian State, lies within the south temperate zone and is predominantly humid subtropical. For many years, the State was free of arboviral diseases, but increase in traveling, urbanization-population of RS is 11.3 million people, with 81% living in urban areas-and sociocultural events favored the emergence of diseases in RS.…”

“…For many years, the virus was associated with only a few cases of human diseases in parts of Africa and Asia caused by the so‐called African lineage, though seroprevalence was shown to be high . In 2007, an epidemic of ZIKV infection occurred in the Pacific Island of Yap; from 2013, this Asian lineage caused epidemics in other Pacific Islands . It is believed that ZIKV was introduced into Brazil in 2014, with the first autochthonous case confirmed in 2015 and then spread to other countries in South America and Central America; imported cases have also been reported in North America and Europe …”