Zika Outbreaks In Brazil

Using the numbers language is the best way to estimate how threatening and common this virus can be. Epidemiological studies have reported a total of 44 countries which had Zika outbreaks from 2007 to 5 February 2016. This includes 33 countries that reported transmission in between 2015 and 2016.

The most affected countries are Brazil with up to 1,482,701 cases reported since the outbreak began and Colombia with 20,297 cases reported (up to 23 January 2016). Since the country’s first cases were detected in October 2015, there has been a rapid regional spread of the virus.

By 4 February 2016, 26 countries and territories in the Americas reported local transmission of the virus. In October 2015, Cape Verde, an island off the coast of West Africa, reported an outbreak of Zika virus and has recently reported 7081 cases in January 2016.

Anyway, now it is well known that one of the most important possible complications of Zika infection is microcephaly in newborn babies. In Brazil, between 2001 and 2014, an average of 163 microcephaly cases has been recorded nationwide per year.
To prove the association between Zika infection and this malformation, authorities in Brazil have carried out studies on 1,113 cases out of 4,783 reported cases of microcephaly. These studies have shown that although microcephaly cases in Brazil are spatio-temporally associated with the Zika outbreak, more studies and investigations are needed to better understanding of this potential