Bangladesh Reports Initial Cluster of Zika Virus Cases
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Synopsis
On March 3, 2023, health authorities in Bangladesh confirmed the first cluster of five Zika virus cases through the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research. This discovery has prompted calls for nationwide screening to understand the disease's prevalence and improve diagnostic capabilities.
Key Takeaways
- First cluster of Zika cases identified in Bangladesh.
- Five patients reported, one with dengue co-infection.
- Nationwide screening recommended for better understanding.
- Transmission likely linked to Bangladeshi expatriates.
- Improved diagnostic and surveillance measures needed.
Dhaka, Mar 3 (NationPress) Researchers at the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR-B), have confirmed five cases of patients infected with the Zika virus in the nation, as reported by health officials on Monday.
The samples were gathered from the infected individuals in 2023, marking the first discovery of a cluster of Zika-infected patients in Bangladesh.
The detection of these Zika virus cases has prompted a call for extensive, nationwide screening to assess the actual prevalence of the disease within the country. The infected individuals resided within a one-kilometre area of each other and had not traveled outside the nation in the previous two years. Notably, one of the five patients was also found to be infected with the dengue virus, marking the first instance of co-infection reported in Bangladesh, according to local news sources.
It is believed that the transmission route may likely stem from Bangladeshi expatriates working in various countries affected by the Zika virus in South Asia. These workers could have contracted the virus and spread it within and beyond their communities in Bangladesh. The ICDDR-B has recommended enhancing diagnostic capabilities and implementing systematic national surveillance to manage potential outbreaks effectively.
The very first cases of Zika virus infection in humans were documented in Nigeria in 1954, with only sporadic reports of approximately a dozen infections noted over the following 50 years. It wasn't until 2007 that the Zika virus became more prominent, with infections reported in three-quarters of the population on the small island of Yap, located between the Philippines and Papua New Guinea in the western Pacific Ocean, followed by a significant outbreak in French Polynesia in 2013. The virus remained limited to a narrow equatorial region in Africa and Asia until 2014, when it began to spread eastward, first to Oceania and then to South America.
According to a report from the World Health Organization (WHO), the Zika virus is mainly transmitted through the bite of an infected mosquito from the Aedes genus, primarily Aedes aegypti, in tropical and subtropical areas. These mosquitoes typically bite during the day, with peak activity in the early morning and late afternoon/evening. This is the same mosquito responsible for transmitting dengue, chikungunya, and yellow fever.
