Zika may have skulked around Brazil for more than a year unnoticed

(credit: Agência Brasil)

While ongoing scandals and indictments rocked the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) during the 2014 World Cup Tournament in Brazil, there’s one thing the group was likely not guilty of—introducing Zika to the Americas.

The first case of the mosquito-transmitted virus in the Americas was documented in May of 2015 in Brazil. And some researchers had speculated that the large, international crowds of athletes and sports fans that flocked to the game may have unwittingly delivered the virus.

But a new genetic study, published Thursday in Science, suggests that the virus arrived in Brazil between May and December of 2013, well before the tournament. Around that time, the authors noted, Brazil saw a boost in travelers from areas that where then experiencing Zika outbreaks, including French Polynesia and New Caledonia. But, that travel surge was not likely linked to a specific events—sporting or otherwise—the authors emphasized.

Read 7 remaining paragraphs | Comments