Zika challenge similar to AIDS for medical community

By Shasta Darlington and Sandee LaMotte, CNN
4 minute read
Updated 9:01 AM EST, Fri February 5, 2016
A pest control worker fumigates a school corridor on the eve of the annual national Primary School Evaluation Test in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday, September 4. Malaysia reported its first locally transmitted Zika case on September 3.
A pest control worker fumigates a school corridor on the eve of the annual national Primary School Evaluation Test in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday, September 4. Malaysia reported its first locally transmitted Zika case on September 3.
MOHD RASFAN/AFP/Getty Images
A banner about Zika virus is seen as ferry passengers <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/05/health/zika-asia-threat/" target="_blank">arriving from Singapore</a> get in line at the immigration check on September 4, in Batam, Indonesia.
A banner about Zika virus is seen as ferry passengers arriving from Singapore get in line at the immigration check on September 4, in Batam, Indonesia.
Ulet Ifansasti/Getty Images
A banner is flown over the South Pointe Park area, Tuesday, September 6, in Miami Beach, Florida.
A banner is flown over the South Pointe Park area, Tuesday, September 6, in Miami Beach, Florida.
Alan Diaz/AP
A pest control worker fumigates drains at a local housing estate where the latest case of Zika infections were reported on Thursday, September 1, in Singapore.
A pest control worker fumigates drains at a local housing estate where the latest case of Zika infections were reported on Thursday, September 1, in Singapore.
Wong Maye-E/AP
Florida Gov. Rick Scott and Florida Surgeon General Dr. Celeste Philip address the media gathered at the Miami-Dade County Department of Health as they announce five cases of Zika in a 1.5 mile area of Miami Beach on Friday, August 19, in Miami, Florida.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott and Florida Surgeon General Dr. Celeste Philip address the media gathered at the Miami-Dade County Department of Health as they announce five cases of Zika in a 1.5 mile area of Miami Beach on Friday, August 19, in Miami, Florida.
Angel Valentin/Getty Images
Brazil's interim President Michel Temer, center right, meets with officials during Temer's first visit to the Olympic Park on Thursday, June 14, in Rio de Janeiro. The Rio 2016 Olympic Games commence August 5 amid a political and economic crisis in the country along with the Zika virus outbreak.
Brazil's interim President Michel Temer, center right, meets with officials during Temer's first visit to the Olympic Park on Thursday, June 14, in Rio de Janeiro. The Rio 2016 Olympic Games commence August 5 amid a political and economic crisis in the country along with the Zika virus outbreak.
Mario Tama/Getty Images
Rio 2016 Chief Medical Officer Joao Grangeiro, Municipal Secretary of Health Daniel Soranz and Sub-secretary of the State for Health and Surveillence Alexandre Chieppe field questions from the media during an International Media Briefing to address the Zika virus on Tuesday, June 7, in Rio de Janeiro.
Rio 2016 Chief Medical Officer Joao Grangeiro, Municipal Secretary of Health Daniel Soranz and Sub-secretary of the State for Health and Surveillence Alexandre Chieppe field questions from the media during an International Media Briefing to address the Zika virus on Tuesday, June 7, in Rio de Janeiro.
Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
A health worker fumigates an area in Gama, Brazil, to combat the Aedes aegypti mosquito on Wednesday, February 17. The mosquito carries the <a href="http://www.cnn.com/specials/health/zika" target="_blank">Zika virus,</a> which has suspected links to birth defects in newborn children. The World Health Organization expects the Zika outbreak to spread to <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/25/health/who-zika-virus-americas/index.html" target="_blank">almost every country in the Americas.</a>
A health worker fumigates an area in Gama, Brazil, to combat the Aedes aegypti mosquito on Wednesday, February 17. The mosquito carries the Zika virus, which has suspected links to birth defects in newborn children. The World Health Organization expects the Zika outbreak to spread to almost every country in the Americas.
EVARISTO SA/AFP/Getty Images
A man places a mosquito net over a bed at a home for the elderly in Masaya, Nicaragua, on Thursday, February 11.
A man places a mosquito net over a bed at a home for the elderly in Masaya, Nicaragua, on Thursday, February 11.
OSWALDO RIVAS/REUTERS/Newscom
An Aedes aegypti mosquito floats in stagnant water inside a tire at a used tire store in Villavicencio, Colombia, on Thursday, February 4.
An Aedes aegypti mosquito floats in stagnant water inside a tire at a used tire store in Villavicencio, Colombia, on Thursday, February 4.
Fernando Vergara/AP
A health worker fumigates an area in Caracas, Venezuela, on Tuesday, February 2.
A health worker fumigates an area in Caracas, Venezuela, on Tuesday, February 2.
MIGUEL GUTIERREZ/EFE/Sipa USA
A lab worker exposes his arm to Aedes aegypti mosquitoes during testing at the Roosevelt Hospital in Guatemala City, Guatemala, on Monday, February 1.
A lab worker exposes his arm to Aedes aegypti mosquitoes during testing at the Roosevelt Hospital in Guatemala City, Guatemala, on Monday, February 1.
Saul Martinez/Bloomberg/Getty Images
Tainara Lourenco sits inside her home in Recife, Brazil, on Friday, January 29. Lourenco, five months pregnant, lives at the epicenter of Brazil's Zika outbreak. The Zika virus has been linked to microcephaly, a neurological disorder that results in newborns with small heads and abnormal brain development.
Tainara Lourenco sits inside her home in Recife, Brazil, on Friday, January 29. Lourenco, five months pregnant, lives at the epicenter of Brazil's Zika outbreak. The Zika virus has been linked to microcephaly, a neurological disorder that results in newborns with small heads and abnormal brain development.
Felipe Dana/AP
Dr. Angela Rocha shows brain scans of a baby born with microcephaly at the Oswaldo Cruz Hospital in Recife on Thursday, January 28.
Dr. Angela Rocha shows brain scans of a baby born with microcephaly at the Oswaldo Cruz Hospital in Recife on Thursday, January 28.
Felipe Dana/AP
Alice Vitoria Gomes Bezerra, a 3-month-old baby with microcephaly, is placed in her crib by her father Wednesday, January 27, in Recife.
Alice Vitoria Gomes Bezerra, a 3-month-old baby with microcephaly, is placed in her crib by her father Wednesday, January 27, in Recife.
Mario Tama/Getty Images
A health ministry employee fumigates a home in Soyapango, El Salvador, on January 27.
A health ministry employee fumigates a home in Soyapango, El Salvador, on January 27.
MARVIN RECINOS/AFP/AFP/Getty Images
A lab technician at the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation Institute stores Aedes aegypti mosquitoes to be used in research in Recife on January 27.
A lab technician at the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation Institute stores Aedes aegypti mosquitoes to be used in research in Recife on January 27.
Felipe Dana/AP
A patient suffering from Guillain-Barre syndrome recovers at a hospital in San Salvador, El Salvador, on January 27. Researchers are looking into a possible link between Zika and Guillain-Barre, a rare disorder that causes the body's immune system to attack its nerves.
A patient suffering from Guillain-Barre syndrome recovers at a hospital in San Salvador, El Salvador, on January 27. Researchers are looking into a possible link between Zika and Guillain-Barre, a rare disorder that causes the body's immune system to attack its nerves.
MARVIN RECINOS/AFP/Getty Images
<a href="http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/27/health/the-children-of-zika/index.html" target="_blank">Luiz Felipe</a> lives in Recife and is one of more than 4,000 babies in Brazil born with microcephaly since October. The drought-stricken impoverished state of Pernambuco has been the hardest-hit, registering 33% of recent cases.
Luiz Felipe lives in Recife and is one of more than 4,000 babies in Brazil born with microcephaly since October. The drought-stricken impoverished state of Pernambuco has been the hardest-hit, registering 33% of recent cases.
Miguel Castro/CNN
A health worker sprays insecticide under the bleachers of Rio de Janeiro's Sambadrome on Tuesday, January 26.
A health worker sprays insecticide under the bleachers of Rio de Janeiro's Sambadrome on Tuesday, January 26.
Leo Correa/AP
A Brazilian soldier inspects a home in Recife on Monday, January 25, while canvassing the neighborhood and attempting to eradicate the larvae of mosquitoes linked to the virus.
A Brazilian soldier inspects a home in Recife on Monday, January 25, while canvassing the neighborhood and attempting to eradicate the larvae of mosquitoes linked to the virus.
Mario Tama/Getty Images
David Henrique Ferreira, a 5-month-old who has microcephaly, is watched by his brother in Recife on January 25.
David Henrique Ferreira, a 5-month-old who has microcephaly, is watched by his brother in Recife on January 25.
Mario Tama/Getty Images
The larvae of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are photographed in a lab in Cali, Colombia, on January 25. Scientists are studying the mosquitoes to control their reproduction and resistance to insecticides.
The larvae of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are photographed in a lab in Cali, Colombia, on January 25. Scientists are studying the mosquitoes to control their reproduction and resistance to insecticides.
LUIS ROBAYO/AFP/Getty Images
Angelica Prato, a pregnant woman infected by the Zika virus, receives medical attention at a hospital in Cucuta, Colombia, on January 25.
Angelica Prato, a pregnant woman infected by the Zika virus, receives medical attention at a hospital in Cucuta, Colombia, on January 25.
SCHNEYDER MENDOZA/AFP/Getty Images
A woman walks through fumes as health ministry employees fumigate an area in Soyapango on Thursday, January 21.
A woman walks through fumes as health ministry employees fumigate an area in Soyapango on Thursday, January 21.
MARVIN RECINOS/AFP/AFP/Getty Images
Brazilian soldiers apply insect repellent as they prepare for a cleanup operation in Sao Paulo on Wednesday, January 20.
Brazilian soldiers apply insect repellent as they prepare for a cleanup operation in Sao Paulo on Wednesday, January 20.
Andre Penner/AP
A researcher at the University of Sao Paulo holds a container with female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes on Monday, January 18.
A researcher at the University of Sao Paulo holds a container with female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes on Monday, January 18.
Andre Penner/AP
A graveyard in Lima, Peru, is fumigated on Friday, January 15.
A graveyard in Lima, Peru, is fumigated on Friday, January 15.
ERNESTO BENAVIDES/AFP/Getty Images
Aedes aegypti mosquitos are seen at the University of Sao Paulo on January 8. Researchers from the Pasteur Institute in Dakar, Senegal, came to Brazil to train local researchers to combat the Zika virus epidemic.
Aedes aegypti mosquitos are seen at the University of Sao Paulo on January 8. Researchers from the Pasteur Institute in Dakar, Senegal, came to Brazil to train local researchers to combat the Zika virus epidemic.
NELSON ALMEIDA/AFP/Getty Images
Zika virus outbreak

Story highlights

A top Brazilian researcher compares the spread of the Zika virus to the HIV/AIDS crisis in the 1980s

A lack of medical knowledge feeds fear and concern

Rio de Janeiro CNN  — 

With the Zika virus sweeping across the Americas and the number of birth defects in Brazil on the rise, a top Brazilian researcher is comparing the Zika pandemic to the AIDS crisis of the 1980s.

Dr. Wilson Savino, director of Fiocruz, a Brazilian health care institution.
Dr. Wilson Savino, director of Fiocruz, a Brazilian health care institution.
Courtesy Miguel Castro

“The challenge for the scientific and medical community is comparable to what happened when we first knew about the outbreak of the HIV infection,” said Dr. Wilson Savino, director of Fiocruz, one of Brazil’s oldest and most respected health care institutions. “Every day, there is something new because it is a huge outbreak with very little scientific knowledge.”

National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Anthony Fauci, who has played a key role in the decades-long search for an HIV vaccine, agrees the evolving Zika outbreak is similar in some respects.

“In the very beginning of the HIV/AIDS epidemic,” Fauci told CNN, “it was virgin territory and very difficult to decipher what was going on. As we learned more about it, we were able to address it better.”