Continuing the Fight Against Zika

February 28, 2018 by

A team in Peru heading out for field work and preparing for mosquito collection.

Zika virus continues to spread in many countries and territories around the globe. Because there is no vaccine or medicine for Zika, the virus and its associated health outcomes will remain a significant and enduring public health challenge.

The Danger from Zika

Although many people infected with Zika experience mild or no symptoms, infection during pregnancy can cause serious birth defects. Areas affected by Zika have also reported increased cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome, an uncommon sickness of the nervous system in which a person’s own immune system damages the nerve cells.

Working together to understand the threat

Experts in CDC’s Global Disease Detection (GDD) program around the world continue their work to track and understand Zika virus. CDC and its global partners – which include ministries of health and agriculture, universities, and U.S. government agencies – are conducting various surveillance and research activities around the world to:

Monitor the spread of Zika virus
Determine the range of effects of Zika infection during pregnancy
Identify potential risk factors for severe Zika-related consequences
Evaluate the different tests available to diagnose Zika infection in the field

Although, at this time, animals other than mosquitoes do not appear to be involved in the spread of Zika virus to humans, CDC’s work will also investigate the ecology between Zika-carrying animals, including mosquitoes and people.

These activities are ongoing with multiple CDC country offices. CDC’s Division of Global Health Protection is also collaborating with the Naval Medical Research Unit-Six in Peru and CDC colleagues from the Division of Vector-Borne Disease in Ft. Collins, Colorado, to conduct ecological studies in Peru, Colombia, and Brazil.

Critical studies moving forward

CDC’s ongoing surveillance and applied research studies will allow a better understanding of Zika infections, how they are spreading, and where they are occurring.

To date, more than 450 pregnant women have been enrolled in ongoing cohort studies in Guatemala and Kenya. More than 1,000 samples from various animals have been collected for the ecological study; all participating countries have received training on new diagnostic tests for Zika; and surveillance activities have led to detection of Zika cases in various countries.

About CDC’s Global Disease Detection program

CDC’s Global Disease Detection program provides critical surveillance and research data as a foundation for a sustainable global protection strategy. The reach of the GDD network helps countries quickly identify and respond to diseases within their region. GDD surveillance systems focused on one or more diseases or syndromes cover more than 109 million people in 10 countries.

In 2017, the GDD program conducted surveillance at more than 288 unique sites, tracking deadly threats like flu, fevers, and antimicrobial resistance. Below is a snapshot of disease syndromes tracked this year by GDD surveillance systems across the globe.

February 28, 2018 by

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