Zika virus found in monkeys

THE Zika virus has been discovered in monkeys for the first time since the widespread outbreak in Brazil, raising concerns there is a “natural reservoir” of the disease.

Zika was first discovered in monkeys in Uganda in 1947, but has since spread predominantly among humans via mosquitoes. However, the detection of Zika in dead primates in Brazil raises concerns that the disease has a wild cycle similar to yellow fever.

If confirmed, this would make combating Zika much more difficult than previously assumed.

“The discovery shows the potential exists for Zika to establish a sylvatic transmission cycle [involving wild animals] in Brazil,” said Prof Maurício Lacerda Nogueira, lead researcher of the report and professor at São José do Rio Preto Medical School.

“If the wild cycle is confirmed, it completely changes the epidemiology of Zika because it means there’s a natural reservoir from which the virus can re-infect the human population much more frequently.”