How American Hospitals are Fighting to Prevent and Contain Zika

With U.S. health officials expecting the Zika virus to appear in Texas and Louisiana next, preventing the spread of Zika has become a major priority for health care facilities. As of mid-August, there were 2,260 known cases of Zika in the United States and another 8,035 in U.S. territories such as Puerto Rico, reports EDM Digest.

To contain Zika, health care providers are taking steps that include following regulatory measures, deploying technology and completing medical manufacturing preventive procedures to develop best practices. Here are some of the ways health care providers are fighting to prevent and contain Zika outbreaks.

Regulatory Measures

The Centers for Disease Control has classified the Zika virus as a nationally notifiable condition. Infections falling into this classification must by law be reported to government authorities. Health care providers are required to report suspected Zika cases to their local, state or territorial health department to promote swift diagnosis and reduce the risk of the virus being transmitted locally. When suspected cases are confirmed or identified as probable by laboratory tests, officials must report them to the CDC. These measures help the federal government and state governments coordinate a national response to Zika and get a head start on outbreaks in local areas to contain them.

The Role of Technology

Technology is playing a key role in the health care system’s efforts to prevent the spread of Zika. Electronic surveillance and communication between hospitals and state agencies is the key to an effective response, says epidemiologist and public health expert Christine Hockett. Data reported by local hospitals is being fed into online systems where local and state health care officials can analyze individual suspected cases and local patterns to have the best opportunity for early intervention.

To further enhance early prevention efforts, Texas Children’s Hospital and Houston Methodist Hospital have developed a hospital-based rapid detection test for Zika. The test uses RNA sequence identification to distinguish between Zika and related viruses, such as the West Nile virus and yellow fever. It can be performed on blood, urine, spinal fluid and amniotic fluid and produces results within a few hours.

Hospitals also are using technology to proactively monitor early warning signs of Zika. Steps being taken include performing more frequent ultrasound tests and more closely monitoring fetal heart rates and amniotic fluid levels.

Medical Manufacturing, Shipping and Storage Preventive Procedures

Zika is transmitted primarily through mosquito bites and childbirth; however, it also can be spread through other means, such as blood transfusions and laboratory exposure. To prevent viruses and bacteria from spreading, health care providers follow routine preventive measures.

Medical supplies are made from materials that are resistant to infection and are kept sterile. For instance, medical product supplier Apple Rubber manufactures medical seals and o-rings out of silicone (which is resistant to infection) in clean rooms that are kept mold-free. After sterile materials have been manufactured, medical suppliers use sterile shipping methods to keep them free of infection. Hospitals also have special departments tasked with the sterile handling, cleaning and storing of medical supplies.

Best Practices

CDC Zika virus deputy incident manager Denise Jamieson says the keys for hospitals to contain Zika are to follow standard precautions for preventing infections and to take extra precautions with patients in pregnancy and labor or who may become pregnant. Pregnant women should be advised to avoid traveling to areas with high Zika risk. Women who have traveled to high-risk areas should be tested and should avoid becoming pregnant for at least eight weeks after exposure or after first symptoms appear. Pregnant women with Zika symptoms should be tested 14 days after symptoms appear. Men who have risk of exposure should also abstain for six months from getting their partners pregnant.