Emerging and Re-emerging Arboviral Diseases as a Global Health Problem

Abstract

Newly emerging or re-emerging infections continue to pose significant global public health threats. This chapter provides an overview of the combinations of factors that led to the emergence of arthropod-borne viruses as human and veterinary health threats, in order to understand the risk associated and how this can be mitigated. Considering the history of emergence of some arboviruses, these epidemics have occurred globally as a result of climate and socioeconomic changes that have allowed the spread to new geographical areas of viruses previously confined to specific ecological niches such as West Nile and Chikungunya, or viruses considered under control such as Dengue, Japanese encephalitis, and Yellow fever. Moreover, the greatest risk for humans derives from the ability of these viruses to adopt transmission cycles involving highly anthropophilic mosquito species. Finally, many other arboviruses are largely ignored despite their potential to emerge globally. The recent epidemic spread of Zika virus throughout the Americas is the evidence that arboviruses are likely to continually emerge and re-emerge and that improved scientific technologies and knowledge is essential to deal with future vector-borne epidemics. Research priorities should therefore focus on surveillance systems and vector control tools, as well as on the development of antiviral molecules or candidate vaccine.

Zika Virus in West Africa: A Seroepidemiological Study between 2007 and 2012

“…Serological data suggest that ZIKV transmission has occurred among humans, animals and mosquitoes throughout tropical Africa for more than 70 years; however, ZIKV epidemics were never reported, and fewer than 20 human infections were recorded [ 3 ] between its isolation and the first large epidemic, occurring in Micronesia in 2007 [ 4 ]. ZIKV gained new attention after its spread in the Pacific and then to the Americas [ 5 ], and in recent years serological studies were conducted in Africa, documenting the presence of ZIKV antibodies in humans [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 ]. Moreover, a ZIKV outbreak that occurred in Gabon in 2007 was retrospectively identified [ 10 ].…”

Emerging and Neglected Viruses of Zoonotic Importance in Croatia

“…Hantaviruses are globally distributed rodent-borne viruses. Many other zoonotic viruses are largely neglected despite their potential to emerge globally [ 1 ].…”

“…Small foci of TBEV have also been identified in Middle and South Adriatic [ 14 , 60 , 79 ]. Endemicity is highest in northwestern counties with a mean incidence of 3.61–6.78/100,000 inhabitants [ 1 ]. The number of reported human TBE cases (2007–2019) ranged from six cases in 2016 to 45 in 2012 [ 80 ].…”

Antiviral Natural Products for Arbovirus Infections

“…Over the course of the last 50 years, the emergence of several arboviruses—notably dengue, chikungunya, and Zika—have resulted in countless outbreaks globally, to which their geographical spread may be accelerated by rapid urbanization, deforestation, global warming, and increased international travel and trade [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]. These environmental and climate changes have brought people into more frequent contact with vectors, and have facilitated the expansion of vectors into new territories to cause disease [ 2 , 7 , 8 ].…”