title: Rapid Spread of Zika Virus in The Americas--Implications for Public Health Preparedness for Mass Gatherings at the 2016 Brazil Olympic Games.
abstract: Mass gatherings at major international sporting events put millions of international travelers and local host-country residents at risk of acquiring infectious diseases, including locally endemic infectious diseases. The mosquito-borne Zika virus (ZIKV) has recently aroused global attention due to its rapid spread since its first detection in May 2015 in Brazil to 22 other countries and other territories in the Americas. The ZIKV outbreak in Brazil, has also been associated with a significant rise in the number of babies born with microcephaly and neurological disorders, and has been declared a 'Global Emergency by the World Health Organization. This explosive spread of ZIKV in Brazil poses challenges for public health preparedness and surveillance for the Olympics and Paralympics which are due to be held in Rio De Janeiro in August, 2016. We review the epidemiology and clinical features of the current ZIKV outbreak in Brazil, highlight knowledge gaps, and review the public health implications of the current ZIKV outbreak in the Americas. We highlight the urgent need for a coordinated collaborative response for prevention and spread of infectious diseases with epidemic potential at mass gatherings events.
authors: The Royal Hospital, Muscat, Oman, and Insititute of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark. Electronic address: eskildp@dadlnet.dk.
authors: Eskild
authors: E
authors: Petersen
authors: School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, USA; Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
authors: Mary E
authors: ME
authors: Wilson
authors: Communicable Disease Control Department, Ministry of Health, Cambodia.
authors: Sok
authors: S
authors: Touch
authors: Global Health Department, Public Health England, London, United Kingdom.
authors: Brian
authors: B
authors: McCloskey
authors: UNZA-UCLMS Project, University Teaching Hospital, and Ministry of Health, Lusaka, Zambia.
authors: Peter
authors: P
authors: Mwaba
authors: UNZA-UCLMS Project, University Teaching Hospital, and Ministry of Health, Lusaka, Zambia.
authors: Matthew
authors: M
authors: Bates
authors: Global Health Department, Public Health England, London, United Kingdom.
authors: Osman
authors: O
authors: Dar
authors: Dept of Virology, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
authors: Frank
authors: F
authors: Mattes
authors: Dept of Virology, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
authors: Mike
authors: M
authors: Kidd
authors: National Institute for Infectious Diseases Lazzaro Spallanzani, Rome, Italy.
authors: Giuseppe
authors: G
authors: Ippolito
authors: Special Infectious Agents Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Centre, and Medical Laboratory Technology Department, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
authors: Esam I
authors: EI
authors: Azhar
authors: Special Infectious Agents Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Centre, and Medical Laboratory Technology Department, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; Division of Infection and Immunity, University College London, and NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, UCL Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom.
authors: Alimuddin
authors: A
authors: Zumla
mesh_terms: D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000517:prevention & control; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008831:Microcephaly / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology; D011634:Public Health; D013177:Sports; D014944:World Health Organization; D000071244:Zika Virus; D000071243:Zika Virus Infection / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*
keywords: Arboviruses; Brazil; Mass Gatherings; Olympics; Sporting events; Zika virus