RAPID RISK ASSESSMENT Zika virus infection outbreak,

Abstract

This is the first documented outbreak of Zika virus (ZIKAV) infection in French Polynesia and New Caledonia. During the course of the ZIKAV outbreak, neurological and auto-immune complications have been reported in a context of concurrent circulation of two dengue serotypes (dengue 1 and 3) since February 2013. Vigilance must be enhanced towards imported cases of ZIKAV infection in the EU Member States and EU overseas countries and territories and outermost regions, in particular where effective vectors are present; early detection of cases is essential to reduce the risk of autochthonous transmission. Clinicians and travel medicine clinics should be aware of the situation in the Pacific islands and include ZIKAV infection in their differential diagnosis. An isolated positive result for dengue IgM antibodies among travellers returning from areas affected by Zika should prompt a possible investigation for another flavivirus aetiology. The potential neurological and auto-immune complications might require specific healthcare capabilities and treatment (ICU) which need to be taken into account in an insular context facing a large-scale Zika outbreak. As an emerging pathogen, the laboratory capacity to confirm suspected Zika cases should be strengthened in the region as well as in Europe to differentiate ZIKAV infections from other arboviral dengue-lik