A large Zika outbreak is not likely to occur in the United States, despite climate conditions that are increasingly favorable to mosquitoes that spread the virus, according to a paper published in the Journal of Medical Entomology.
The paper's authors note that socioeconomic factors, including access to clean water and air conditioning, make large-scale outbreaks rare in America. Unlike in developing countries, factors related to low socioeconomic status are not common in the United States. These factors contribute to outbreaks of not only Zika, but also yellow fever, dengue and chikungunya.
"It seems clear that the main factors keeping outbreaks of these diseases from occurring today are socioeconomic such as lifestyle, housing infrastructure and good sanitation," the authors write.
However, localized outbreaks are still likely to occur, especially in states with longer summers and pockets of areas with low socioeconomic factors.