Zika Virus Screening in the Kenyan Olympic Team Attending the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil

Abstract

The 2016 Olympic Games happened at the time of heightened fears of Zika virus (ZIKV) that was causing microcephaly in newborns in Brazil. To avert or track introduction of ZIKV in Kenya, the Ministry of Health developed a public health response that involved screening of the Kenyan contingent before and after traveling to Brazil. Of the 92 team members that were screened, all but one tested negative for ZIKV IgM and IgG. The sero-positive individual had high IgM serum titers before and after travel to Brazil. When tested for potential antibody cross-reactivity to other flaviviruses that have been reported in Kenya, the sample showed high IgM cross-reactivity to West Nile, Tick-Borne Encephalitis and Yellow Fever Virus. Our data support the low risk predictions of acquiring ZIKV that were made before the Games and will help inform risk assessments for personnel traveling to endemic regions under similar circumstances in the future.