Zika outbreak in Americas could be down to one plane passenger

[unhappycamper]

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/mar/24/zika-outbreak-in-americas-could-be-down-to-one-plane-passenger-brazil

Study of virus’s evolution shows strains in Americas share a single ancestor, and suggest it could have arrived during the 2013 Fifa Confederations Cup

Zika outbreak in Americas could be down to one plane passenger
Nicola Davis
Thursday 24 March 2016 15.05 EDT

The outbreak of Zika virus in the Americas could be down to just one passenger that stepped off a plane in 2013.

New research suggests that the virus could have arrived in Brazil more than a year before it was first reported in March 2015, scotching the notion that it was brought to Brazil during the 2014 World Cup, or arrived during the Va’a World Sprint Championship canoe race.

More than 30,000 cases of infection with the Zika virus have been reported in Brazil. While symptoms are in most cases mild, concerns have been raised about infections in pregnant women after a possible link was made between the virus and cases of microcephaly in babies. There is also a potential link to Gullain-Barré syndrome, a paralysing nerve disorder, in adults.

The new research describes how a large team of researchers from the US, Canada, UK and Brazil narrowed down a possible window in which the virus could have come to the Americas.

[lapfog_1]

1. download Plague, Inc

has lots of input from the CDC and others. Really a fun game that models how to wipe out humanity.

plane travel is one of the most important vectors in spreading a virus... HIV being another prime example.