|Videos|July 14, 2016

Learnings From Delivering a Baby Infected With Zika

Abdulla Al-Khan, MD, director of the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine and Surgery at Hackensack University Medical Center, describes his learnings from delivering a baby with Zika-related microcephaly.

Abdulla Al-Khan, MD, director of the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine and Surgery at Hackensack University Medical Center, describes his learnings from delivering a baby with Zika-related microcephaly.

Interview Transcript (slightly modified for readability)

“I think the major lesson that I’ve learned is that we have to do every single thing possible, as healthcare providers, as organizations, [in] healthcare facilities, [both] at a state level [and] at a federal level, to combat this condition. This [threat], if not dealt with, and brought to a halt early in the game, is going to have serious implications [for] the [next] generation of Americans.

The lesson that I’ve learned is that we have to get together as a community [and] as doctors, and do every single thing to [better] understand [the possible complications of] Zika infection [during] pregnancy, and bring a halt to [this threat].”


Related to this article

Household Contacts Drive Most Hepatitis B Exposures in Young Children
Karen B. Jacobson, MD, MPH, of Kaiser Permanente Northern California, presented data at IDWeek 2026 showing 58.2% of children younger than five years exposed to active hepatitis B in the home were exposed by someone other than their birth mother, a risk maternal screening alone would miss under the CDC’s revised birth dose recommendation.
Inhaled Amikacin Shows Low Resistance Rates in MAC Lung Disease in ENCORE
In the phase 3b ENCORE trial, adding amikacin liposome inhalation suspension (ALIS) to azithromycin and ethambutol significantly improved culture conversion in newly diagnosed MAC lung disease, while treatment-emergent amikacin (2.2%) and macrolide (1.1%) resistance stayed rare. Kevin Winthrop, MD, provides insights around the study.
FAQ: What You Need to Know About West Nile Virus in 2026
After 2 adults died of West Nile virus in central North Carolina this month, this FAQ explains how the mosquito-borne virus spreads, who faces the greatest risk of severe neuroinvasive disease, and how clinicians can diagnose, manage, and help prevent infection when no vaccine or antiviral treatment exists.