Biosecurity

Zika’s spread can’t be stopped, study argues, but it will burn out in 3 years

Trying to stop the Zika virus from spreading in Latin America is probably pointless, according to a new study by medical modeling experts at Imperial College London, who predict the epidemic is likely to fizzle out on its own within three years.

The findings, published Thursday in the journal Science, used Zika data collected across Latin America, where the outbreak erupted last year in Brazil. The study concludes that attempting to prevent Zika by eliminating the mosquitoes that spread the virus is a largely futile endeavor, because those methods haven’t eliminated dengue fever, which is carried by the same vector.