Blocking HTLV-1/2 silent transmission in Brazil: Current public health policies and proposal for additional strategies.

Human T-cell lymphotropic viruses 1 and 2 (HTLV-1/2) are relatively common in Brazil but remain silent and neglected infections. HTLV-1 is associated with a range of diseases with high morbidity and mortality. There is no curative treatment for this lifelong infection, so measures to prevent transmi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases
Main Authors: Carolina Rosadas, Maria Luiza B Menezes, Bernardo Galvão-Castro, Tatiane Assone, Angélica E Miranda, Mayra G Aragón, Adele Caterino-de-Araujo, Graham P Taylor, Ricardo Ishak
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2021
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0009717
https://doaj.org/article/874443be1335498ea2e1930d784dc9fc
Description
Summary:Human T-cell lymphotropic viruses 1 and 2 (HTLV-1/2) are relatively common in Brazil but remain silent and neglected infections. HTLV-1 is associated with a range of diseases with high morbidity and mortality. There is no curative treatment for this lifelong infection, so measures to prevent transmission are essential. This narrative review discusses HTLV-1/2 transmission routes and measures to prevent its continuous dissemination. The public health policies that are currently implemented in Brazil to avoid HTLV-1/2 transmission are addressed, and further strategies are proposed.