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Trying to stop the Zika virus from spreading in Latin America is probably pointless, according to a new study by medical modeling experts at Imperial College London, who predict the epidemic is likely to fizzle out on its own within three years. The findings, published Thursday in the journal Science, used Zika data collected across Latin America, where the outbreak erupted last year in Brazil. The study concludes that attempting to prevent Zika by eliminating the mosquitoes that spread the virus is a largely futile endeavor, because those methods haven’t eliminated dengue fever, which is carried by the same vector. (Miroff, 7/14)

Researchers modeling the rampant spread of the Zika virus say that, like a wildfire consuming a parched landscape, the epidemic that has caused a plague of birth defects in Brazil is already showing signs of slowing and is likely to largely burn itself out in three years. Peak Zika spread may already have passed, said researchers writing in the journal Science. At a slower rate and with seasonal ebb and flow, the Zika virus’ march across the Americas, they reckon, will likely grind to a halt. (Healy, 7/14)

The Zika outbreak in Latin America may blow through like a nasty storm, moving off in another year or 18 months, a new study suggests. In any one place the wave of transmission could last between six months and a year, the researchers suggested in the study, published in the journal Science. If these estimates are right, they represent good news and bad news. Women trying to hold off on getting pregnant because of the risk Zika poses to fetuses may have to wait less time before they can try to have children. (Branswell, 7/14)