Paper presented at the 3rd International Conference on Influenza and Zoonotic Diseases, August 2017, Birmingham, UK By Dr Vincent Icheku

Hello Everyone My name is: Dr Vincent Icheku, a senior Introduction Hello Everyone My name is: Dr Vincent Icheku, a senior lecturer in the School of Health and social care, London South Bank University.

Presentation topic: My presentation focuses on: “A new report that may provide clue as to why for 70 years there was no documented cases of birth defect in Africa where Zika virus originated”

Background You may recall that the World Health Organisation (WHO) on the 1st of February 2016 declares Zika virus a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.

What is Zika Virus The Zika virus is a Flavivirus from the family Flaviviridae, which has emerged as a global mosquito-borne pathogen of growing public health concern (Icheku and Icheku, 2016).

The Aedes aegypti mosquito was implicated in a study by Boorman and Porterfield (1956) as the main vector transmitting the Zika virus. This finding was confirmed by a later experimental study that demonstrated the competence of the Aedes aegypti mosquito to transmit the Zika virus.

The Aedes aegypti mosquito, shown in figure 1 The Aedes aegypti mosquito, shown in figure 1.1, is one of the two mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus) that spread the dengue and chikungunya viruses (CDC, 2016).

Table 1.1 below offers a comparison of the two main Aedes mosquito, Aedes aegypti, and Aedes albopictus, species that transmit Zika virus.

Aedes aegypti Aedes albopictus bites primarily humans (anthropophilic) bites primarily wild and domestic animals (zoophilic) but also humans tends to bite indoors tends to bite outdoors feeds multiple times per cycle of egg production feeds once per cycle of egg production adapts well to human urban settlements inhabits rural areas especially

Zika virus outbreak in Brazil in May 2015 resulted: WHO (2016)reported: Zika virus outbreak in Brazil in May 2015 resulted: More than 1 million cases, With 4,000 suspected cases of microcephaly and 270 confirmed cases linked to the virus.

What is Microcephaly? Microcephaly is a rare congenital disease that is linked with incomplete brain development and causes babies to be born with unusually small heads and, in the majority of cases, brain damage(see figure 1 below).

Figure 1

WHO (2017) recently reported that: Zika virus related microcephaly has now been reported in 20 countries. As many as four million people may be infected with the virus Thus poses a global public health threat

Microcephaly in Africa The African nations were recently alarmed by the World Health Organization (WHO) report confirming an outbreak of the Zika virus on the African island chain of Cape Verde, linking it to cases microcephaly (WHO, 2016). 

Zika was first discovered in East Africa in 1947 East African Link Zika was first discovered in East Africa in 1947 With no known link to brain or birth defect until the WHO reported cases in May 2016.

The question, therefore, is: If the Zika virus has been in Africa for 70 years, why wasn’t any association to microcephaly detected before the recent WHO findings?

Aim of this presentation This presentation discusses a new report that seem to offer a clue as to why there was no cases of birth defect in Africa where Zika virus originated.

Other possible explanations The evidence in the report is part of other possible explanations discussed in my recent book, entitled: “Is Zika virus the definitive culprit in the cases of microcephaly?”

Argentine doctors’ new report A group of doctors in Argentina calling themselves, “Physicians in the Crop-Sprayed” issued a report that challenges the theory that the Zika virus epidemic in Brazil is the cause of the increase cases of microcephaly.

State mosquitoes controlled programme The report argued that Pyri- proxy-fen’s chemical used in a State-controlled programme aimed at eradicating disease- carrying mosquitoes in Brazil is a dangerous poison capable of birth defects. 

What is Pyri-proxy-fen Pyri-proxy-fen is a growth inhibitor of mosquito larvae, which alters the development process from larva to adult, thus generating malformations in developing mosquitoes and killing or disabling them.

Pyri-proxy-fen may be responsible the birth defects in Brazil The report claimed that malformations detected in thousands of babies from pregnant women living in areas (North East) where the Brazilian state used the chemical Pyriproxyfen are not a coincidence.

State Denial The Brazilian federal government dismissed the report for lacking scientific base.

European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control: Contrary to the government’s denial, European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), warned that if authorities continue with chemical spraying (see figure 2), it could increase children's risk of brain disorders

Figure 2

The new report on chemical spraying in North East of Brazil where majority cases of Microcephaly were reported challenges the theory that the Zika virus is the main cause of microcephaly.

In addition: The fact that there is no documented evidence of Zika- linked microcephaly in Africa where Zika virus existed for over 70 years opens up a new debate as to the relationship between Zika virus and microcephaly.

I will like to conclude this presentation with a recommendation: In conclusion: I will like to conclude this presentation with a recommendation: Research studies will be required in the light of this new report to explain the role of pyri-proxy-fen in the cases of birth defect in the North Eastern Brazil.

Bibliography ECDC (2016) Communicable disease threats report,European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), http://ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications/Publications/communicable- disease-threats-report-23-july-2016.pdf(Online access, March 2016) Icheku, V. (2017) “Is Zika virus is the definitive culprit in the cases of microcephaly?” Lambert Academic Publishers, Germany Physicians in the Crop-Sprayed Towns (2016) Dengue-Zika, microcephaly, and mass-spraying with chemical poisons, Physicians in the Crop-Sprayed Towns. http://www.reduas.com.ar/wp-content/plugins/download- monitor/download.php?id=109, (Online access, February 2017)  Robinson, C. (2016) what did Brazilian public health researchers really say about Zika, pesticides, and birth defects? http://gmwatch.org/news/latest-news/16741(Online access, February 2017) World Health Organisation (2017) Situational Report: Update, http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/254714/1/zikasitrep10Ma r17-eng.pdf?ua=1(Online access, January 2017)