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Where next for the Zika virus?

Research

The southeastern US, including much of Texas through to Florida, has ideal conditions for the spread of Zika virus, according to a new study involving Oxford scientists.

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Image courtesy of Shutterstock

A large portion of global tropical and subtropical regions have highly suitable environmental conditions and are at the greatest risk. These areas are inhabited by over 2.7 billion people.

Scientists led by the University of Oxford and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, Seattle, have produced a fine-scale global map of Zika virus transmission. This map was produced by identifying areas of the world with similar environmental and socioeconomic characteristics as areas where the virus has been reported so far. These characteristics include simple weather variables such as precipitation and land cover, but also complex temperature-based virus incubation models. Separate analysis produced range maps for the primary mosquito vector of Zika, Aedes aegypti.

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