(CNN)Vaccines
and antibiotics have made many infectious diseases a thing of the past;
we've come to expect that public health and modern science can conquer
all microbes. But nature is a formidable adversary. And Zika is our newest threat, particularly to pregnant women.
New,
unfamiliar and mysterious threats to our health are scary. At the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention -- where we identify, on
average, one new health threat each year -- we work around the clock
with an approach that prioritizes finding out what we need to know as
fast as we can to protect Americans.
The
CDC has some of the world's leading experts both in diseases spread by
mosquitoes and in fetal abnormalities. We get the facts, base actions on
science, tell people what we know when we know it and what we are doing
to add to our knowledge, and act to protect Americans today as
effectively as possible.
Who is at risk for Zika infection?
Most
people in the contiguous United States are unlikely to ever come into
contact with the Zika virus, but two groups need particular attention.
First, people living in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, a U.S.
territory, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Caribbean or Pacific territories,
and Central and South America are likely to see an increasing spread of
Zika. In these areas, women who are pregnant need to protect themselves
from mosquito bites by using repellants, permethrin-coated clothing,
long sleeves and pants, and by staying indoors (ideally in places with
air conditioning) as much as is practical. We advise pregnant women to postpone travel to areas where Zika is spreading.
18 photos: Zika virus outbreak
The
spread of the virus through blood transfusion and sexual contact have
been reported in isolated cases. However, for most of the nonpregnant
population, there is no reason to think Zika presents a particular risk.
Will we see Zika in the U.S.?
We
have already seen the Zika virus in travelers returning from places
where Zika is spreading, including, sadly, one woman in Hawaii who
delivered an infant with microcephaly after being infected with the
virus in Brazil last year. We will certainly see more travelers
returning to the United States with Zika after being infected in parts
of the world where the virus is spreading. But the big question many
people have is whether Zika will spread widely within the United States.
Science
doesn't have a crystal ball, but the CDC has great laboratories and the
world's best disease detectives. For a disease such as Zika to spread
widely, two things are necessary. The first is the specific mosquito
species that spreads the virus. The second is the conditions in
communities; places that are crowded and don't have air conditioning
enable viruses such as Zika to spread.
So
we do expect, unfortunately, that Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin
Islands could have many infections with the Zika virus, and we will
certainly see U.S. travelers returning with Zika infections, just as we
saw travelers returning with dengue and chikungunya infections. We could
see isolated cases and small clusters of infections in other parts of
the country where the mosquito is present. But from the information we
know now, widespread transmission in the contiguous United States
appears to be unlikely.
What is the government doing?
Since
the first large Zika outbreak ever recognized, in 2007, the CDC has had
boots on the ground responding. Our laboratories have developed a test
that can confirm Zika in the first week of illness or in a sample from
an affected child. Diagnosing prior infection with Zika is much more
challenging, and CDC scientists as well as private companies are working
to develop tests that can do this accurately. This is a priority, and
we are working to do in weeks what would usually take months or years.
We
are supporting laboratories in Puerto Rico and around the United States
to provide testing, and we are using cutting-edge genomic methods in
this effort. We are also working with Puerto Rico and other places at
risk around the country to improve mosquito control efforts before we
head into warmer weather when mosquitoes become a bigger problem. The
CDC also provides support and guidance for health care providers and the public. You'll know of any new developments as soon as we do.
Across the Department of Health and Human Services, there is also important work related to Zika, particularly to speed the development of tests, treatments and vaccines.
Prevention
will be key. Mosquito control is hard. States and cities that invest in
mosquito control can track and fix many places where mosquitoes can
breed to drive down mosquito populations. But this takes hard,
meticulous work -- and money. We must maximize the use of today's tools
to reduce the mosquitoes that can spread Zika and other diseases. We
must also advance innovative mosquito control tools of tomorrow, such as
promising new products that may be safer and more effective than
today's methods.
There is no way to
predict when or where health threats will emerge, but the plain fact is
that we will continue to see new infectious disease threats such as
Zika. The CDC's laser focus is protecting the health, safety and
security of Americans; learning more about Zika and fighting it is a top
priority.