The 2015 outbreak of Zika virus in Brazil led to a significant increase of neonatal microcephaly. While Zika virus was identified in Africa in the 1940s and was noted to be present in Asia, it was not until 2007 that there was a significant shift in the behavior of the virus. Reasons for this change in Zika virus behavior and pathogenesis could be due to a change in the virulence of the virus, and a new ability to infect the human host. Additionally, the changing habitat of mosquitoes along with increasing urbanization and changes of human habitats has increased the risk of Zika virus exposure. This review summarizes the response to the Zika pandemic and recommendations for interventions through the lens of the Sendai Framework for disaster risk reduction. Emergency preparedness focuses on lessening the likelihood and the impact of disasters. Preparedness encompasses the actions of mitigation, prevention, response, and recovery.
Sirohi, D. and Kuhn, R.J. (2017) Zika Virus Structure, Maturation, and Receptors. The Journal of Infectious Diseases, 216, S935-S944. https://doi.org/10.1093/infdis/jix515
Vest, K.G. (2016) Zika Virus: A Basic Overview of an Emerging Arboviral Infection in the Western Hemisphere. Disaster Medicine Public Health Preparedness, 10, 707-712. https://doi.org/10.1017/dmp.2016.43
WHO (2016) Director-General Summarizes the Outcome of the Emergency Committee Regarding Clusters of Microcephaly and Guillain-Barré Syndrome. World Health Organization, Geneva. http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/statements/2016/emergency-committee-zika-microcephaly/en
Duffy, M.R., Chen, T.H., Hancock, W.T., et al. (2009) Zika Virus Outbreak on Yap Island, Federated States of Micronesia. New England Journal of Medicine, 360, 2536-2543. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa0805715
Faye, O., Freire, C.C.M., Iamarino, A., et al. (2014) Molecular Evolution of Zika Virus during Its Emergence in the 20th Century. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 8, e2636. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0002636
Duong, V., Dussart, P. and Buchy, P. (2017) Zika Virus in Asia. International Journal of Infectious Diseases, 54, 121-128. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijid.2016.11.420
Squires, R.C., Konings, F. and World Health Organization Regional Office for the Western Pacific Zika Incident Management Team (2016) Preparedness for Zika Virus Testing in the World Health Organization Western Pacific Region. Western Pacific Surveillance and Response Journal, 7, 44-47. https://doi.org/10.5365/wpsar.2016.7.1.007
Plourde, A.R. and Bloch, E.M. (2016) A Literature Review of Zika Virus. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 22, 1185-1192. https://doi.org/10.3201/eid2207.151990
Basarab, M., Bowman, C., Aarons, E.J. and Cropley, I. (2016) Zika Virus. BMJ, 352, i1049. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.i1049
Pierson, T.C. and Graham, B.S. (2016) Zika Virus: Immunity and Vaccine Development. Cell, 167, 625-631. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2016.09.020
White, M.K., Wollebo, H.S., David Beckham, J., Tyler, K.L. and Khalili, K. (2016) Zika Virus: An Emergent Neuropathological Agent. Annals of Neurology, 80, 479-489. https://doi.org/10.1002/ana.24748
Rice, M.E., Galang, R.R., Roth, N.M., Ellington, S.R., Moore, C.A., Valencia-Prado, M., Ellis, E.M., Honein, M., et al. (2018) Vital Signs: Zika-Associated Birth Defects and Neurodevelopmental Abnormalities Possibly Associated with Congenital Zika Virus Infection—U.S. Territories and Freely Associated States, 2018. MMWR Morbidity Mortality Weekly Report, 67, 858-867. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6731e1
FDA U.S. Food & Drug Administration (2019) Zika Virus Response Updates from FDA. https://www.fda.gov/emergency-preparedness-and-response/mcm-issues/zika-virus-response-updates-fda
Aitsi-Selmi, A., Egawa, S., Sasaki, H., et al. (2015) The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction: Renewing the Global Commitment to People’s Resilience, Health, and Well-Being. The International Journal of Disaster Risk Science, 6, 164-176. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13753-015-0050-9
Tambo, E., Chuisseu, P.D., Ngogang, J.Y. and Khater, E.I. (2016) Deciphering Emerging Zika and Dengue Viral Epidemics: Implications for Global Maternal-Child Health Burden. Journal of Infection Public Health, 9, 240-250. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jiph.2016.02.005
Song, B.H., Yun, S.I., Woolley, M. and Lee, Y.M. (2017) Zika Virus: History, Epidemiology, Transmission, and Clinical Presentation. Journal of Neuroimmunology, 308, 50-64. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jneuroim.2017.03.001
Singer, L., Vest, K.G. and Beadling, C.W. (2017) Zika Virus: A Review of Management Considerations and Controversies at Six Months. Disaster Medicine Public Health Preparedness, 11, 279-284. https://doi.org/10.1017/dmp.2016.141
Duchin, J.S. (2016) US Public Health Preparedness for Zika and Other Threats Remains Vulnerable. Disaster Medicine Public Health Preparedness, 10, 298-299. https://doi.org/10.1017/dmp.2016.26
Wilder-Smith, A., Preet, R., Renhorn, K.E., et al. (2017) Zika Plan: Zika Preparedness Latin American Network. Global Health Action, 10, Article ID: 1398485. https://doi.org/10.1080/16549716.2017.1398485
Madad, S., Tate, A., Rand, M., et al. (2018) Zika Virus Preparedness and Response Efforts through the Collaboration between a Health Care Delivery System and a Local Public Health Department. Disaster Medicine Public Health Preparedness, 12, 689-691. https://doi.org/10.1017/dmp.2018.5
Adebanjo, T., Godfred-Cato, S., Viens, L., et al. (2017) Update: Interim Guidance for the Diagnosis, Evaluation, and Management of Infants with Possible Congenital Zika Virus Infection—United States, October 2017. MMWR Morbidity Mortality Weekly Report, 66, 1089-1099. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6641a1
Kishore, N., Marqués, D., Mahmud, A., et al. (2018) Mortality in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria. New England Journal of Medicine, 379, 162-170. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMsa1803972
McNeil, C.J. and Shetty, A.K. (2017) Zika Virus: A Serious Global Health Threat. Journal of Tropical Pediatrics, 63, 242-248. https://doi.org/10.1093/tropej/fmw080
CDC Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2019) Zika Virus: 2019 Case Counts in the US. https://www.cdc.gov/zika/reporting/2019-case-counts.html
McCarthy, M. (2016) US Health Officials Press Congress for Zika Funds. BMJ, 352, i1545. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.i1545
Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on Emerging Microbial Threats to Health, Lederberg, J., Shope, R.E. and Oaks, S.C. (1992) Emerging Infections: Microbial Threats to Health in the United States. National Academy Press, Washington DC.
Musso, D. and Gubler, D.J. (2016) Zika Virus. Clinical Microbiology Reviews, 29, 487-524. https://doi.org/10.1128/CMR.00072-15
Chen, L.H. and Hamer, D.H. (2016) Ideas and Opinions. Zika Virus: Rapid Spread in the Western Hemisphere. Annals of Internal Medicine, 164, 613-615. https://doi.org/10.7326/M16-0150