PMC:7100305 / 22447-25290
Annnotations
{"target":"https://pubannotation.org/docs/sourcedb/PMC/sourceid/7100305","sourcedb":"PMC","sourceid":"7100305","source_url":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/7100305","text":"Credibility of Evidence Informing Response Pathways\nThe evidence and the diversity of causal explanations of the Zika epidemic are arguably political. There are competing narratives that, if considered, justify different responses. These are exemplified in relationship to international human travel, climate change, ecosystem, and socioecology. The following is a brief overview of some theories of causation of the Zika epidemic.\nInternational human travel is thought to have facilitated the spread of the Zika epidemic. The Zika virus was thought to have been introduced to South America between May and December 2013. During this time, there were three major international events held in Brazil—World Youth Day in July 2013, the Fifa World Cup in 2014, and the World Sprint Championship Canoe Race in Rio de Janeiro in 2014—that may have been responsible for this introduction (Possas 2016). The World Sprint Championship Canoe Race in Rio de Janeiro was attended by a team from French Polynesia, where the Zika outbreak first occurred (Possas 2016; Gautret and Simon 2016). These types of mass gatherings attracting international travelers put attendees at greater risk for transmission of communicable diseases (Gautret and Simon 2016; World Health Organization 2017b). Despite these risks, the WHO only advised pregnant women and women planning to get pregnant to avoid traveling to Zika-affected regions but did not implement a travel ban (Lima-Camara 2016).\nWhile the climate of South America is particularly suitable for replication of the Aedes mosquito—the vector responsible for transmission of the Zika virus (Gyawali et al. 2016), climate change is thought to have resulted in extremely heavy rainfall and droughts which can support this proliferation of mosquitos, hence facilitating the spread of the Zika epidemic (Fast et al. 2015). Both the puddles created during heavy rainfall and the open barrel water storage during droughts, create ideal breeding places for mosquitos (Fast et al. 2015). Since the causes of climate change are complex, global, and political, the responses are political, often emphasizing the symptoms of climate change at a local level (in especially the poor countries), rather than addressing the causes at a global level.\nA combination of an ecosystem-focused perspective and a social-anthropological lens is vital “because a pathogen requires a receptive population in order to cause disease” (Possas, 2016, p. 8) (Possas 2016). Ultimately, the need for a cross-disciplinary response pathway cannot be understated (Possas 2016).\nComprehending the diversity of causal explanations and associated responses allows for the politics of evidence to be more deeply appreciated. The production and evaluation of the evidence used to provide a causal explanation and promote a response is also political.","divisions":[{"label":"Title","span":{"begin":0,"end":51}}],"tracks":[{"project":"2_test","denotations":[{"id":"32226719-27283140-45162378","span":{"begin":889,"end":893},"obj":"27283140"},{"id":"32226719-27283140-45162379","span":{"begin":1048,"end":1052},"obj":"27283140"},{"id":"32226719-27093860-45162380","span":{"begin":1639,"end":1643},"obj":"27093860"},{"id":"32226719-27283140-45162381","span":{"begin":2469,"end":2473},"obj":"27283140"},{"id":"32226719-27283140-45162382","span":{"begin":2569,"end":2573},"obj":"27283140"},{"id":"T84200","span":{"begin":889,"end":893},"obj":"27283140"},{"id":"T26127","span":{"begin":1048,"end":1052},"obj":"27283140"},{"id":"T75904","span":{"begin":1639,"end":1643},"obj":"27093860"},{"id":"T79138","span":{"begin":2469,"end":2473},"obj":"27283140"},{"id":"T96881","span":{"begin":2569,"end":2573},"obj":"27283140"}],"attributes":[{"subj":"32226719-27283140-45162378","pred":"source","obj":"2_test"},{"subj":"32226719-27283140-45162379","pred":"source","obj":"2_test"},{"subj":"32226719-27093860-45162380","pred":"source","obj":"2_test"},{"subj":"32226719-27283140-45162381","pred":"source","obj":"2_test"},{"subj":"32226719-27283140-45162382","pred":"source","obj":"2_test"},{"subj":"T84200","pred":"source","obj":"2_test"},{"subj":"T26127","pred":"source","obj":"2_test"},{"subj":"T75904","pred":"source","obj":"2_test"},{"subj":"T79138","pred":"source","obj":"2_test"},{"subj":"T96881","pred":"source","obj":"2_test"}]}],"config":{"attribute types":[{"pred":"source","value type":"selection","values":[{"id":"2_test","color":"#9393ec","default":true}]}]}}