Zika Virus

[kiva]

18. Origin of Zika Virus Outbreak in Brazil May Be Linked to Major Sporting Events

It’s not just humans who can travel rapidly across the world. Viruses and disease-spreading insects and animals can hitch a ride on various modes of travel and the ongoing Zika virus outbreak has spotlighted how viruses can span the globe, putting at risk people who had formerly been protected by geography.
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Prior to 2015, transmissions of the virus had not been found in people in South America and instead appeared mainly in Africa, Asia and Polynesia.

While it’s not entirely clear when the viral outbreak started or if there was “patient zero” who spread the virus, researchers who published the June 2015 study speculated that the virus may have come to Brazil during major sporting events that brought together tens to hundreds of thousands of international travelers in close proximity.

“One plausible hypothesis is the arrival of the new emergent virus during the soccer World Cup in 2014,” said the authors of the June 2015 study that studied the genetic sequence of the Zika virus in the Brazilian outbreak.

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/zika-virus-outbreak-brazil-linked-major-sporting-events/story?id=36575321