Mutua, M. M., Ngwe Tun, M. M., Nwe, K. M., Lin, H., Kapandji, M., Inoue, S., Thant, K. Z., Takamatsu, Y., Aung, W. W., Khin, A. A., Thu, H. M., Urano, T., & Morita, K. (2025).
Epidemiological insights into the co-circulation of Zika and dengue viruses in Yangon, Myanmar (2017-2019).Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, traf102.
https://doi.org/10.1093/trstmh/traf102
Abstract
Background
Zika virus (ZIKV) is a mosquito-borne flavivirus mainly transmitted by Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. While well-studied in the Americas, data from Southeast Asia, especially Myanmar, remain limited. This study assessed ZIKV infection among dengue-suspected patients in Yangon, Myanmar, from 2017 to 2019.
Methods
This was a cross-sectional retrospective study that collected serum samples from 1162 clinically dengue-suspected patients. Reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was used to detect ZIKV RNA and serological assays were used to identify ZIKV-specific immunoglobulin M (IgM), IgG and neutralizing antibodies. The age, gender, clinical manifestations and coinfections with dengue virus (DENV) were determined.
Results
Of the 1162 samples, 23 (2.0%) were positive for ZIKV by RT-qPCR. Among these, nine samples showed coinfection with DENV: four with DENV-1, two with DENV-3 and three with DENV-4. Of the 111 (9.6%) samples that tested positive for ZIKV IgM, 11 (9.9%) had neutralizing antibodies against ZIKV, with 9 (8.1%) confirmed as ZIKV positive and 2 (1.8%) classified as probable cases.
Conclusions
Our study reported that 32 cases (2.8%) were confirmed as ZIKV infections by molecular and serological detection. The findings underscore the need for improved surveillance, diagnostic accuracy and public health interventions to mitigate the impact of ZIKV.
