Cases of Zika virus in Brazil 2022, by state
In 2022, a total of 9,204 probable cases of the Zika virus infection were reported in Brazil, out of which nearly 41 percent, or 3,757 cases, occurred in Rio Grande do Norte, a northeastern state of Brazil. As of that year, Bahía ranked second in the number of probable infections, accounting for 1,177 Zika cases.
The Zika virus
The virus spread mainly by the bite of an infected Ades species mosquito, but it can also be passed from mother to child during pregnancy. In such cases, the virus can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth, and a brain defect called microcephaly. In 2021, Bahia reported 336 cases of microcephaly-CNS malformation, second only to Pernambuco who recorded 373. The virus currently does not have a vaccine, cure, or any specific treatment. However, the market for a vaccine was on the uptrend and was expected to reach nearly 2.7 billion U.S. dollars in 2024. The easily transmissible virus has affected Brazil the most out of all Latin American countries in 2020.
Crippling the economy
The economy is just as vulnerable to the effects of the virus as humans are. The lifetime costs associated with microcephaly, for instance, have been financially and socially hindering the most affected areas for years. It was estimated that this condition had cost South America around 337 million U.S. dollars in direct medical costs, and a further 250 million in direct non-medical costs as of 2017. The future of the economy is at risk if the virus spreads at high levels, productivity lost due to absenteeism could cost South America up to 1.3 billion U.S. dollars and an additional 1.8 billion due to increased morbidity and premature mortality.
The Zika virus
The virus spread mainly by the bite of an infected Ades species mosquito, but it can also be passed from mother to child during pregnancy. In such cases, the virus can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth, and a brain defect called microcephaly. In 2021, Bahia reported 336 cases of microcephaly-CNS malformation, second only to Pernambuco who recorded 373. The virus currently does not have a vaccine, cure, or any specific treatment. However, the market for a vaccine was on the uptrend and was expected to reach nearly 2.7 billion U.S. dollars in 2024. The easily transmissible virus has affected Brazil the most out of all Latin American countries in 2020.
Crippling the economy
The economy is just as vulnerable to the effects of the virus as humans are. The lifetime costs associated with microcephaly, for instance, have been financially and socially hindering the most affected areas for years. It was estimated that this condition had cost South America around 337 million U.S. dollars in direct medical costs, and a further 250 million in direct non-medical costs as of 2017. The future of the economy is at risk if the virus spreads at high levels, productivity lost due to absenteeism could cost South America up to 1.3 billion U.S. dollars and an additional 1.8 billion due to increased morbidity and premature mortality.
