Information Update: ZIKA

On July 29, 2016, Florida officials confirmed the first case of locally-transmitted Zika virus in the continental United States. There are now several hundred cases of locally-aquired Zika virus infection in the Miami area. The CDC has issued a travel advisory to women who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant to avoid the area in Miami, FL where the outbreak of Zika is occuring. READ MORE

The Zika virus spreads primarily through the bite of an infected mosquito (Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus). People can also get Zika through unprotected sex (without a condom) with an infected man or woman (even if the infected person has no symptoms). The virus can also be passed from a pregnant woman to her fetus.

Common symptoms of Zika are fever, rash, joint pain, and conjunctivitis. The illness is usually mild with symptoms lasting for several days to a week. People infected with Zika don't usually get sick enough to be hospitalized, and many people experience no symptoms at all. For this reason, many may not realize they have been infected. Zika virus infection during pregnancy can cause serious birth defects including microcephaly.  Another rare but severe complication can be Guillain-Barre syndrome which causes temporary partial paralysis. Once a person has been infected, he or she is likely to be protected from future infections. Information on the current Zika virus outbreak is rapidly changing. Check these links regularly for the most up-to-date information:

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• World Health Organization
• NYS Department of Health
• NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
• NJ Department of Health

Healthcare Worker Protection

• OSHA/NIOSH Interim Guidance for Protecting Workers from Occupational Exposure to Zika Virus
• NY Committee for Occupational Safety & Health (NYCOSH) fact sheet
• Preventing Transmission of Zika in Labor and Delivery Settings

Patient Diagnostic, Testing and Treatment Protocols

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Information For Healthcare Providers
• CDC: Testing for Zika Virus
• CDC Reports:
  • Hearing Loss in Infants with Microcephaly and Evidence of Congenital Zika Virus Infection
  • Guillain-Barré Syndrome During Ongoing Zika Virus Transmission
• nyc.gov: Information for Providers
• Letter from NYS Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) Commissioner Mary Bassett regarding the Zika Virus
• Guidance for Prevention of Sexual Transmission
• Reports of Infections apparently not linked to travel
• Zika testing protocol