Dengue virus immunity may protect children from Zika symptoms

Previous infection with dengue virus may protect children from symptomatic Zika, according to a study published January 22 in the open-access journal PLOS Medicine by Eva Harris of the University of California, Berkeley, and colleagues.

Zika virus emerged in northeast Brazil in 2015 and spread rapidly across the Americas, affecting populations that have been largely exposed to dengue virus. Because Zika and dengue viruses are closely related, it is possible that pre-existing dengue virus immunity may also impact susceptibility to Zika. But the impact of previous exposure to the dengue virus on outcomes in those infected with the Zika virus remains unclear. To study this potential impact, Harris and colleagues analyzed the large 2016 Zika epidemic in Managua, Nicaragua, focusing on a pediatric cohort with well-characterized dengue virus immune histories. The long-term, community-based cohort study, currently in its 15th consecutive year, followed approximately 3,700 children aged 2-14 years old.

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