Then, this herd immunity "will likely delay the next large Zika epidemic for more than a decade." -Ferguson also warned that efforts to slow the spread of Zika, by increasing mosquito-control measures, could actually prolong the epidemic. It said "these four countries do not have substantial travel to any country with local Zika virus transmission, except for their participation in the Games, and have environmental conditions and population susceptibility to sustain mosquito-borne transmission of Zika virus." MIAMI - The outbreak of the mosquito-borne Zika virus, blamed for a surge in birth defects, has likely reached its peak in Latin America and the epidemic should be over within three years, researchers said Thursday. "The current explosive epidemic will burn itself out due to a phenomenon called herd immunity," said Neil Ferguson, a professor at Imperial's School of Public Health.

Source: Bangkok Post July 14, 2016 18:11 UTC