Medical Journal of Dr. D.Y. Patil Vidyapeeth

COMMENTARY
Year
: 2016  |  Volume : 9  |  Issue : 2  |  Page : 287--288

Zika virus infection: New emerging infection and public health implication


Viroj Wiwanitkit 
 Public Health Curriculum, Hainan Medical University, Haikou, Hainan, China; Department of Public Health Curriculum, Surin Rajabhat University, Surin, Thailand

Correspondence Address:
Viroj Wiwanitkit
Wiwanitkit House, Bangkhae, Bangkok, Thailand




How to cite this article:
Wiwanitkit V. Zika virus infection: New emerging infection and public health implication.Med J DY Patil Univ 2016;9:287-288


How to cite this URL:
Wiwanitkit V. Zika virus infection: New emerging infection and public health implication. Med J DY Patil Univ [serial online] 2016 [cited 2024 Mar 29 ];9:287-288
Available from: https://journals.lww.com/mjdy/pages/default.aspx/text.asp?2016/9/2/287/177700


Full Text

The recent publication on Zika virus infection in Med J Dr. DY Patil Med Univ is a good update on the emerging infectious disease. [1] Z. virus infection can cause dengue-like infection. [2] Clinical problem of acute febrile illness with hemorrhagic complications can be seen. [2] Similarly, severe disease mimicking dengue can be observed. [2] This infection is little known and studied. It is already reported in several tropical countries around the world. [2],[3] The emergence of the disease in nontropical countries has also been reported. [3] Furthermore, a greater concern is the recent evidence of congenital Z. virus infection. [4] Because of lack of good diagnostic tools and surveillance, it can be expected that the data on its epidemiology are still incomplete. In general practice, Z. virus infection might be presumptively diagnosed in cases with dengue-like clinical features but negative for dengue and chikungunya diagnostic tests. [2] However, the diagnoses of dengue in endemic countries, which are usually poor tropical settings, are by history and clinical examination. [2],[3] Hence, there is no doubt that the Z. virus infection is usually under diagnosed. In addition, there is also some new evidence on the rapid change of the molecular epidemiology of the virus and the pattern of its corresponding mosquito vector. [5] As a new emerging disease, public health measures to tackle the emergency are needed. The setting of diagnostic and surveillance system for the Z. virus infection has to be urgently put in place. [2],[3]

References

1Kambale T, Iqbal B, Salve S, Mushtaq I. Zika virus infection: The resurgence of a neglected disease. Med J DY Patil Univ 2016;9:2. [In press].
2Joob B, Wiwanitkit V. Zika virus infection and dengue: A new problem in diagnosis in a dengue-endemic area. Ann Trop Med Public Health 2015;8:145-6.
3Gulland A. Zika virus is a global public health emergency, declares WHO. BMJ 2016;352:i657.
4Staples JE, Dziuban EJ, Fischer M, Cragan JD, Rasmussen SA, Cannon MJ, et al. Interim guidelines for the evaluation and testing of infants with possible congenital Zika virus Infection - United States, 2016. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2016;65:63-7.
5Faye O, Freire CC, Iamarino A, Faye O, de Oliveira JV, Diallo M, et al. Molecular evolution of Zika virus during its emergence in the 20 th century. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2014;8:e2636.