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CDC: Fight against Zika not over
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As CDC’s emergency response to the widespread Zika outbreak in the Americas nears the 1-year mark, the agency reviewed 10 vital achievements made in 2016 that contributed to the fight against the disease in a report published in MMWR.
Since the activation of its Emergency Operations Center to address the Zika threat, CDC has developed new public health surveillance and infection control tools to provide a basis for continued efforts to combat Zika and to lessen the impact of the disease on children and families. Its 10 critical contributions include:
- releasing travel recommendations to warn pregnant women against traveling to Zika-affected areas;
- issuing clinical recommendations for the treatment of pregnant women, as well as their fetuses and infants;
- confirming sexual transmission of Zika;
- examining blood safety and availability;
- creating and disseminating laboratory test kits and reagents;
- finding a connection between Zika infection during pregnancy and serious brain defects such as microcephaly;
- collecting and evaluating surveillance data of pregnant women with Zika to determine the risk and the potential adverse effects on the health of fetuses and infants after infection during pregnancy;
- providing more access to contraceptive methods to reduce unintentional pregnancies as well as the effect of Zika;
- employing evidence-based mosquito control strategies; and
- enhancing knowledge on the connection between Zika and neurologic conditions, such as Guillain-Barré syndrome.
While there have been many significant advancements in 2016, Zika remains a serious threat to public health, according to CDC.
“Fighting Zika is the most complex epidemic response CDC has taken on, requiring expertise ranging from pregnancy and birth defects to mosquito control, from laboratory science to travel policy, from virology to communication science,” Thomas R. Frieden, MD, MPH, director of CDC, said in a press release. “CDC experts in every field will continue to protect women and their families from the devastating complications of this threat.”
Future priorities of the CDC to battle Zika virus include accelerating development of a safe and effective vaccine and improving diagnostic testing. – by Alaina Tedesco
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.