The news media continues to give the Zika virus a lot of airtime, but there’s only so much they can put in the story once they get past the headlines. Here’s some more info for those who want it.
New York State’s Commissioner of Health Dr. Howard Zucker recently gave a webinar presentation on the current state of knowledge of the disease, based on information from the CDC and from the department itself; the Wadsworth Center is one of the few labs in the country equipped to test for the infection. Here’s a link to the pdf file containing the Powerpoint slides from the webinar. The intended audience are the health care professionals gearing up to deal with this emerging threat, so some of it is rather technical and clinical.
Objectives
At the conclusion of this webinar, clinicians will be able to:
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Describe the epidemiology, clinical manifestations, management, and prevention of Zika virus disease
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Discuss diagnostic testing for Zika virus infection available through NYSDOH’s Wadsworth Center and interpretation of test results
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Articulate the importance of early recognition and reporting of cases
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State the recommendations for pregnant women and possible Zika virus exposure
Some of the material is specific to New York State, but most of it is generally applicable. Be aware that the slides cover basic information only — the rest of the webinar was able to go into more detail.
Cautions: this is information accessible to the public via the internet, and has already been made available to the media. If you or anyone you know believes they may have been exposed to the Zika virus or suspect infection, they should contact their own healthcare provider rather than trying to contact the NYS DOH or CDC directly, although there is an information line (1-888-364-4723) for the public and healthcare providers to learn more about the virus. (More info here on testing, where to get get it, and who should.)
Be aware that the Zika virus is currently the subject of much ongoing research, so new information may become available that may change the recommendations for dealing with it. Much remains to be determined; this briefing is based on what was known as of February 1, 2016 and there is no telling how long it will remain relevant.
For more information, the New York State Department of Health has put together a page of links to web information about the Zika virus. The department’s Facebook page is here.