Not going viral

摘要

Another year, another emerging tropical disease. Zika virus, which has caused thousands of severe birth defects in Brazil, is fanning out across the western hemisphere and appears capable of invading nearly all countries in the Americas (see page 7). Other continents could be next. Until recently, the mosquito-borne virus caused sporadic human cases in parts of Africa and South-East Asia (see page 9). It now joins a rogues' gallery of obscure viruses that have shot to global notoriety, including HIV, Ebola, SARS, West Nile, MERS, dengue and chikungunya.