How Can Hospitals Prepare for Zika Outbreaks?

Daniel Eiras, MD, MPH, hospital epidemiologist at NYU Langone Medical Center, explains how hospitals and healthcare systems can identify where resources need to be allocated when preparing for Zika outbreaks.

Interview Transcript (slightly modified for readability)

“Healthcare providers or health systems can develop a surveillance system [to diagnose those with Zika infections] through their infection control department or microbiology lab where patients are identified and tracked. That’s really the most important mechanism for understanding where these patients are hitting the health system and how the resources can be allocated in those areas.

That’s going to allow for hospitals to stay ahead of possible changes in the epidemic and differences in terms of travel and [infection] transmission within their area.”