Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 6, 2026
10:16
High-throughput Antiviral Assays to Screen for Inhibitors of Zika Virus Replication
Published on: October 30, 2021
Arboviral Risk at Brazilian Tourist Destinations
Sebastian Vernal1,2, Eloise Skinner1, Beatris M Martin1
1Frazer Institute, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Behavioural Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Journal of Travel Medicine
|July 19, 2026
Summary
Brazil faces recurring arbovirus outbreaks, including dengue, chikungunya, and yellow fever (YF). This study identifies high-risk regions and maps them to aid travel medicine professionals in advising travelers.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
- Travel Medicine
Background:
- Brazil experiences frequent outbreaks of dengue, chikungunya, and yellow fever (YF), posing risks to residents and travelers.
- Identifying high-risk areas is crucial for managing arboviral infections in a popular tourist destination.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify high-risk regions for arboviral infections in Brazil.
- To develop a user-friendly, map-based resource for clinical decision-making in travel medicine.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of laboratory-confirmed dengue, chikungunya, and YF cases and deaths from 2019-2024 (YF from 2015).
- Data aggregated into 133 Intermediate Geographic Regions (IGRs), excluding those without cases.
- A composite risk score combining transmission duration and disease burden was calculated for each IGR.
Main Results:
- Over 4.35 million dengue, 294,921 chikungunya, and 2,312 YF cases analyzed.
- High-risk dengue regions identified in the Midwest (e.g., Pantanal).
- High-risk chikungunya regions found in the Northeast (e.g., Recife).
- Yellow fever risk identified in 38.3% of IGRs, notably in the Southeast (e.g., São Paulo state).
Conclusions:
- Arboviruses present varied risks across Brazil.
- A novel, spatially integrated map aids travel medicine practitioners.
- The tool supports tailored advice and pre-travel vaccinations for travelers.
Related Concept Videos
01:25Arboviral Encephalitis
Arboviral encephalitis refers to brain inflammation caused by arthropod-borne viruses, particularly those transmitted through mosquito vectors. Among these, West Nile virus (WNV), a member of the Flaviviridae family, is a significant public health concern. WNV is an enveloped, positive-sense, single-stranded RNA virus. Human infection typically begins when an infected mosquito introduces the virus into the dermis during feeding. The primary transmission cycle involves birds as amplifying hosts...
01:22American Trypanosomiasis
Chagas disease, or American trypanosomiasis, is a vector-borne parasitic infection caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, a flagellated protozoan (kinetoplastid) of the family Trypanosomatidae. The disease is endemic in Latin America, although cases are increasingly reported worldwide due to human migration. Transmission most commonly occurs when feces of infected triatomine bugs contaminate bite wounds or mucosal surfaces; additional routes include congenital, transfusional, transplant-related, and oral...
01:30Leishmaniasis
Leishmaniasis is a protozoal disease caused by species of the genus Leishmania and transmitted through the bite of infected female sandflies. The parasite exists in two principal morphological forms during its life cycle. A sandfly acquires intracellular amastigotes from an infected reservoir host, such as a dog. Within the sandfly, these forms differentiate into motile, flagellated promastigotes. During a subsequent blood meal, promastigotes are injected into the human host, where they...
01:28Infectious Diseases and Their Occurrence
Infectious diseases appear in populations through various transmission patterns, influenced by pathogen characteristics, population immunity, environmental conditions, and social behavior. Understanding these patterns is essential for effective public health surveillance and intervention. These categories—sporadic, outbreak, epidemic, pandemic, and endemic—help frame the nature and scope of disease events.Sporadic diseases occur irregularly and infrequently, without a predictable temporal or...
01:28Toxoplasmosis
Toxoplasmosis, a zoonotic disease caused by the protozoan Toxoplasma gondii, poses significant public health challenges globally due to its high seroprevalence and varied clinical manifestations. As an obligate intracellular parasite, T. gondii can infect all warm-blooded vertebrates, but felids are its only definitive hosts, shedding unsporulated oocysts into the environment. Humans typically acquire the infection through ingestion of tissue cysts in undercooked meat or oocysts from...
01:18Yellow Fever
Yellow fever is a viral hemorrhagic disease caused by the yellow fever virus (YFV), a member of the Flaviviridae family. It is transmitted primarily by Aedes and Haemagogus mosquitoes in tropical and subtropical regions of Africa and South America. After transmission through a mosquito bite, the virus initially replicates in skin-resident immune cells such as dendritic cells and macrophages. These cells then migrate to the lymph nodes, where viral replication increases, eventually leading to...