| dc.description.abstract | Zika virus (ZIKV) belongs to the genus Flavivirus
of the family Flaviviridae, and is transmitted to
humans by the bite of infected Aedes mosquitoes.
The virus was first isolated from a monkey in
Uganda in 1947 while the first human case of
virus infection was reported in Nigeria in 1947.
Later, sporadic human cases have been reported
in Asia. In 2007, an unprecedented ZIKV outbreak
occurred in Yap Island, Micronesia. Subsequently,
big epidemics were confirmed between 2013 and
2015 in French Polynesia, New Caledonia, Cook
Island, Easter Island, America, and Brazil. It is
still fresh to our mind that the PHEIC (Public
Health Emergency of International Concern)
was declared by WHO on 1 Feb 2016 during the
period of unprecedented epidemic in Brazil and
other countries in South and Central Americas.
The clinical symptoms of ZIKV infection
such as fever, rash, headache, arthralgia,
myalgia, conjunctivitis, and edema resemble
those of dengue and chikungunya, however,
approximately 80% of infected persons are
asymptomatic. Although the disease is selflimiting,
it poses a public health concern because
ZIKV infection in early phase of pregnancy
can cause congenital deformities, particularly
microcephaly. Hence, ZIKV outbreak could be a
serious public health concern.
In Asia, public health burden caused by ZIKV
infection is not well elucidated though ZIKV is
endemic and the principal vectors are widespread.
Thus, determination of the extent of ZIKV
outbreak is of particular importance in the region.
As researchers, we have been conducting crosssectional
virological and serological analysis to
determine possible ZIKV outbreaks and their
geographical spread in Vietnam and Myanmar
in collaboration with WHO, DMR in Myanmar
and NIHE in Vietnam. As of 2017, 232 Zika cases
had been identified in Vietnam and in 2014; a case
of microcephaly-associated ZIKV infection was
identified. In Myanmar, 462 samples collected
from 2004 to 2017 were subjected to screening
and ZIKV infection was found in 4.9% of patients
with dengue-like clinical symptoms. Our results
confirmed the occurrence of ZIKV infection in
two geographically distinct sites in Myanmar
since at least 2006 and it suggests a need for
continuous ZIKV disease monitoring and a better
understanding on the ZIKV disease spectrum in
the region.
Most recently, another ZIKV-related microcephaly
case was confirmed in Thailand. It should be noted
that the case was caused by the Asian Lineage
ZIKV which is supposed to already spread to a
wide area in Asia. Therefore, ZIKV infection will
continue to be one of the public health problems
and will pose a burden to the society. To approach
the problem which has now become a global health
issue, this needs a cooperation among the different
sectors of the society in which people of different
professions such as virologists, entomologists,
physicians, nurses, medical technologists, policy
makers, health economists, epidemiologists, have
to work together to address the ZIKV disease in
terms of detection, prevention, care and support
and research. | en_US |
