摘要：Objectives. To evaluate the impact of the April 2016 7.8-magnitude earthquake in Ecuador on the incidence of Zika virus (ZIKV) cases. Methods. We used the national public health surveillance system for reportable transmissible conditions and included suspected and laboratory-confirmed ZIKV cases. We compared the number of cases before and after the earthquake in areas closer to and farther from the epicenter. Results. From January to July 2016, 2234 patients suspected of having ZIKV infection were reported in both affected and control areas. A total of 1110 patients had a reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction assay, and 159 were positive for ZIKV. The cumulative incidence of ZIKV in the affected area was 11.1 per 100 000 after the earthquake. The odds ratio of having ZIKV infection in those living in the affected area was 8.0 (95% CI = 4.4, 14.6; P < .01) compared with the control area and adjusted for age, gender, province population, and number of government health care facilities. Conclusions. A spike in ZIKV cases occurred after the earthquake. Patients in the area closest to the epicenter had a delay in seeking care. Zika virus (ZIKV) infection has reached epidemic proportions in South and Central America, significantly increasing the risk of complications such as Guillain-Barré–like syndrome and microcephaly. 1 The main vector for ZIKV transmission is Aedes mosquitoes. However, the current pandemic has shown new modes of transmission: mother to fetus, blood product, and sexual. 1 Mosquito-borne diseases have increased in the aftermath of natural disasters in South and Central America 2 as a consequence of changes in habitats and increases in mosquito breeding sites. 3,4 In the case of ZIKV, meteorological changes related to El Niño are thought to have been the initial trigger of the Zika epidemic in Brazil. 5 However, the impact of a larger natural disaster on the ZIKV pandemic is unknown. On April 16, 2016, Ecuador experienced a devastating 7.8-magnitude earthquake that claimed the lives of 663 people, injured 6274, and displaced 28 775. 6 The aim of our study is to compare the association of the earthquake and the number of ZIKV total and pregnancy-related cases in an earthquake-affected area and in control areas with a similar vector distribution.
