Aedes and the triple threat of DENV, CHIKV, ZIKV – Arboviral risks and prevention at the 2016 Rio Olympic games

• Published in: Travel medicine and infectious disease Vol. 14; no. 1; pp. 1 - 4
• Main Authors: Wilson, Mary E., Schlagenhauf, Patricia
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier Ltd 01.01.2016; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Aedes; Aedes - virology; Animals; Aquatic insects; Brazil - epidemiology; Chikungunya Fever - prevention & control; Chikungunya Fever - transmission; Crowding; Dengue - epidemiology; Dengue - prevention & control; Dengue - transmission; Dengue fever; Diagnostic tests; Disease Outbreaks - prevention & control; Disease transmission; Epidemics; Female; Freshwater; Guillain-Barre syndrome; Humans; Illnesses; Infections; Infectious Disease; Insect Repellents; Insect Vectors - virology; Insecticides; Laboratories; Mosquitoes; Olympic games; Paralympic Games; Pregnancy; Public opinion; Repellents; Risk Factors; Sports; Studies; Travel; Travel medicine; Vector-borne diseases; Zika virus; Zika Virus Infection - epidemiology; Zika Virus Infection - prevention & control; Zika Virus Infection - transmission; Brazil; Rio de Janeiro Brazil; French Polynesia
• ISSN: 1477-8939; 1873-0442
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tmaid.2016.01.010

The Olympic games and Paralympics will take place during August and September, the months least favorable for dengue transmission. Because the Zika and chikungunya viruses share the same mosquito vector as dengue, one might anticipate that more intense transmission would occur during similar periods. Innovative approaches to evaluate this ethically challenging subject are needed, such as using urinary biomarkers of repellents and insecticides to mark pregnancy exposure in epidemiological studies [17]. Because of the importance of public perception on the safety of interventions such as repellent use in pregnancy, clear, evidence-based messages are needed.