Zika beyond the Americas: Travelers as sentinels of Zika virus transmission. A GeoSentinel analysis, 2012 to 2016.
Karin LederMartin P GrobuschPhilippe GautretLin H ChenSusan KuhnPoh Lian LimJohnnie YatesAnne E McCarthyCamilla RotheYasuyuki KatoEmmanuel BottieauKristina HuberEli SchwartzWilliam StaufferDenis MalvyMarc T M ShawChristophe RappLucille BlumbergMogens JenseniusPerry J J van GenderenDavidson H Hamernull nullPublished in: PloS one (2017)
Travelers are integral to the global spread of ZIKV, serving as sentinel markers of disease activity. Although GeoSentinel data are collected by specialized clinics and do not capture all imported cases, we show that surveillance of imported infections by returned travelers augments local surveillance system data regarding ZIKV epidemiology and can assist with risk categorization by international authorities. However, travel advisories are variable due to risk uncertainties.