Zika

According to The World Health Organization’s (WHO) website, the Zika virus was first identified in humans in 1952 in Uganda and the United Republic of Tanzania. Outbreaks of Zika virus disease have been recorded in Africa, the Americas, Asia and the Pacific.  The disease is transmitted mainly by Aedes mosquitoes.

CDC Information Update

• CDC awards nearly $184 million in funding to states to continue the battle against Zika

• CDC expands guidance for travel and testing of pregnant women, women of reproductive age and their Partners for Zika in Miami-Dade, Florida.

• CDC updated its recommendation for men with possible Zika virus expsoure who are considering trying to conceive with thier partners.

The World Health Organization lists the following Key Facts:

• Symptoms generally include: mild fever, skin rash, and conjunctivitis and these symptoms generally last for 2-7 days
• Incubation period is not clear; likely a few days
• No specific treatment or vaccines is currently available
• Best form of prevention is protection against mosquito bites

Please review the resources provided through the links below, share this information with your medical and professional contacts, and use these materials to educate yourself as well as your staff and patients.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Info

• CDC Infographics on areas with Zika.
• CDC has issued travel notices for people traveling to regions and certain countries where Zika virus transmission is ongoing.
• CDC Symptoms, Diagnosis, & Treatment.

CDC’s Interim Guidelines for Healthcare Providers

Obstetrical Healthcare Providers

• Interim Guidelines for Pregnant Women During a Zika Virus Outbreak - United States, 2016.

CDC QAs for Healthcare Providers

• Fact Sheets and Posters about Zika

Other CDC Resources

• CDC’s Resources Webpage.
• CDC’s January 26, 2016 webinar:  Zika Virus – What Clinicians Need to Know.

Oregon Health Authority (OHA) and Public Health Info

• OHA Public Health Division News and Information.

Medical Journal Articles

OHA Public Health Division News and Information.

• “Anticipating the international spread of Zika virus from Brazil” Published in The Lancet, Jan. 23.      

• A “Zika virus in the Americas—yet another arbovirus threat”.  Commentary published in The New England Journal of Medicine, Jan. 13 (e-publication ahead of print).

Media Links

• USA Today Network – Statesman Journal: “Zika Virus not a threat to Oregon, public health official says”.
• CNN: Zika virus was sexually transmitted in Texas, CDC says.
• BBC NEWS: Zika virus infection 'through sex' reported in US.
• PBS: New link between Zika virus and microcephaly is found in Brazil.
• NPR: Zika Virus dedicated Webpage.
• KPTV: What to know about the tropical Zika virus in Latin America.
• USC: Zika Infographic