Estimation of mosquito-borne and sexual transmission of Zika virus in Australia: Risks to blood transfusion safety

Elvina Viennet; Francesca D Frentiu; Craig R Williams; Gina Mincham; Cassie C Jansen; Brian L Montgomery; Robert L P Flower; Helen M Faddy

doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0008438

Back

Estimation of mosquito-borne and sexual transmission of Zika virus in Australia: Risks to blood transfusion safety

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Estimation of mosquito-borne and sexual transmission of Zika virus in Australia: Risks to blood transfusion safety

Elvina Viennet, Francesca D Frentiu, Craig R Williams, Gina Mincham, Cassie C Jansen, Brian L Montgomery, Robert L P Flower and Helen M Faddy

PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, Vol.14(7), pp.1-25

2020

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0008438

PMCID: PMC7380650

PMID: 32663213

Files and links (1)

pdf

Estimation of mosquito-borne and sexual transmission of Zika virus in Australia_ Risks to blood transfusion safety2.74 MBDownload View

Published Version Open Access CC BY V4.0

Abstract

Background: Since 2015, Zika virus (ZIKV) outbreaks have occurred in the Americas and the Pacific involving mosquito-borne and sexual transmission. ZIKV has also emerged as a risk to global blood transfusion safety. Aedes aegypti, a mosquito well established in north and some parts of central and southern Queensland, Australia, transmits ZIKV. Aedes albopictus, another potential ZIKV vector, is a threat to mainland Australia. Since these conditions create the potential for local transmission in Australia and a possible uncertainty in the effectiveness of blood donor risk-mitigation programs, we investigated the possible impact of mosquito-borne and sexual transmission of ZIKV in Australia on local blood transfusion safety. Methodology/Principal findings: We estimated ‘best-’ and ‘worst-’ case scenarios of monthly reproduction number (R0) for both transmission pathways of ZIKV from 1996–2015 in 11 urban or regional population centres, by varying epidemiological and entomological estimates. We then estimated the attack rate and subsequent number of infectious people to quantify the ZIKV transfusion transmission risk using the European Up-Front Risk Assessment Tool. For all scenarios and with both vector species R0 was lower than one for ZIKV transmission. However, a higher risk of a sustained outbreak was estimated for Cairns, Rockhampton, Thursday Island, and theoretically in Darwin during the warmest months of the year. The yearly estimation of the risk of transmitting ZIKV infection by blood transfusion remained low through the study period for all locations, with the highest potential risk estimated in Darwin. Conclusions/Significance: Given the increasing demand for plasma products in Australia, the current strategy of restricting donors returning from infectious disease outbreak regions to source plasma collection provides a simple and effective risk management approach. However, if local transmission was suspected in the main urban centres of Australia, potentially facilitated by the geographic range expansion of Ae. aegypti or Ae. albopictus, this mitigation strategy would need urgent review.

Details

Title: Estimation of mosquito-borne and sexual transmission of Zika virus in Australia: Risks to blood transfusion safety
Authors: Elvina Viennet (Author) - Queensland University of Technology
Francesca D Frentiu (Author) - Queensland University of Technology
Craig R Williams (Author) - University of South Australia
Gina Mincham (Author) - University of South Australia
Cassie C Jansen (Author) - Queensland Health
Brian L Montgomery (Author) - Metro South Health
Robert L P Flower (Author) - Queensland University of Technology
Helen M Faddy (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Health and Sport Sciences - Legacy
Publication details: PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, Vol.14(7), pp.1-25
Publisher: Public Library of Science
Date published: 2020
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0008438
PMID: 32663213; PMC7380650
Copyright note: Copyright: © 2020 Viennet et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Organisation Unit: School of Health - Biomedicine; School of Health; School of Health and Sport Sciences - Legacy; School of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Legacy
Language: English
Record Identifier: 99465405802621
Output Type: Journal article

Metrics

12 File views/ downloads

57 Record Views

6 Times Cited - Web of Science

InCites Highlights

These are selected metrics from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool, related to this output

Collaboration types: Domestic collaboration
Web Of Science research areas: Infectious Diseases; Parasitology; Tropical Medicine

UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

This output has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:

Source: SDGs from InCites