Using data collected in French Polynesia, researchers from the Institut Pasteur, the CNAM (Conservatoire national des arts et métiers), the Institut Louis Malardé, the French Polynesia Hospital Centre, and the Public Hospitals of Paris (AP-HP), have shown that infection by the Zika Virus (ZIKV) increases the likelihood of contracting Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS), a severe form of limb paralysis that is often accompanied by respiratory impairment. GBS has been observed in countries where the Zika epidemic is prolific. The research has been published in The Lancet on the 29th of February 2016.
Cao-Lormeau VM, Blake A, Mons S, Lastere S, Roche C, Vanhomwegen J, Dub T, Baudouin L, Teissier A, Larre P, Vial AL, Decam C, Choumet V, Halstead SK, Willison HJ, Musset L, Manuguerra JC, Despres P, Fournier E, Mallet HP, Musso D, Fontanet A (corresponding author), Neil J, Ghawché F, Guillain-Barré Syndrome outbreak caused by ZIKA virus infection in French Polynesia, The Lancet, February 29, 2016.
More information on Institut Pasteur website.
