LAUSR

Mosquito-borne flaviviruses are (re-)emerging pathogens responsible for several human diseases that lately have been raising alarms both socially and in healthcare. Colonization of new geographical areas by vectors and spread of ZIKV to regions with competent vectors allows its increased settling, exemplified by the recent epidemic across new areas where other important flaviviruses, such as dengue virus (DENV), Yellow Fever virus (YFV) and West Nile virus (WNV), co-circulate. The alarm was mainly due to the rapid spread of the virus across the American continent (Ali et al., 2017; Zhang et al., 2017). Previously, ZIKV infection was associated with mild, flu-like symptoms, but currently several serious neurological complications including Guillain-Barré syndrome and fetal/neonatal microcephaly have been directly linked to it. In this scenario, the viability of a vaccine against ZIKV as a preventive strategy is gaining force (Saiz et al., 2017), supported by previous experiences with flavivirus vaccines such as that against YFV. However, development of flaviviral immunity may also carry disadvantages that must be taken into account before undertaking massive vaccination campaigns.