Investigators accessed longitudinal human data from ebola virus vaccination for signals of efficacy against the Bundibugyo species now surging in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
|Videos|October 6, 2016
Zika Virus Outbreak in the United States: A Closer Look
Author(s)Contagion Editorial Staff
Stephen Redd, MD (RADM, USPHS), Director of the Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response (OPHPR) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), gives a brief overview of Zika Virus.
Advertisement
Stephen Redd, MD (RADM, USPHS), Director of the Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response (OPHPR) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), gives a brief overview of Zika Virus.
Interview Transcript (slightly modified for readability)
“We didn’t know for sure that there would be local mosquito transmission [of Zika virus] in the United States; [however], I don’t know if I would say it was a surprise. We didn’t know if it [was going] to be in Texas, Florida, or somewhere else. We continue to learn more about Zika, almost on a daily or weekly basis. [One] of the things that has been discovered is the frequency of sexual transmission: there have been a little over 20 cases of sexual transmission of Zika virus. The spectrum of birth defects is something [else] that there is a little more information on now than there was earlier. Like most birth defects, it’s expected that as we learn more, there will be a broader spectrum of birth defects, not just that very severe outcome [microcephaly] that was identified very early on.”
Advertisement
Related to this article
In the first episode of our news series looking at the food safety network, Lynette Johnston, PhD, offers insights into how the federal government surveillance infrastructure operates, and how epidemiologists serve as food detectives in determining bacterial pathogens and potential foodborne outbreaks.
In mid-May, as the world was still grappling with an unexpected hantavirus outbreak aboard a tourism vessel, news broke of an Ebola outbreak in the Ituri Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo spanning at least 3 health zones, including Bunia, Rwampara, and Mongbwalu.
A "Clinician Outreach" from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in April anticipated an increase in rabies exposures, and the striking surge in case reports this summer prompted a recent health advisory alert from the federal agency.
Food expert Lynette Johnston, PhD, provides some context around the ongoing outbreak, discusses prevention, and compares 2026 food recalls with previous years.
The Peggy Lillis Foundation will host its 17th Annual Changing the Odds Gala this month in New York City, and it will include a casino, fellowship amongst the C diff community, and an award ceremony honoring a physician-scientist, philanthropist, a researcher, and a patient advocate for their contributions to C difficile awareness, treatment, and prevention.
Resistance-guided testing targeting a single gene mutation could let clinicians safely reintroduce ciprofloxacin for the majority of gonorrhea cases still susceptible to it, sparing ceftriaxone as resistance climbs worldwide. Lao-Tzu Allan-Blitz, MD, MPH, offers insights into his work in this area.
In the third episode of the series with Perry N. Halkitis, PhD, MS, MPH, he discusses how human behavior as well as other factors play a significant role in repeating outbreaks.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Trending on Contagion Live
1
Asymptomatic C difficile Colonization in Infants Doesn’t Mean Benign
2
Implanted Antibiotic Reduced Systemic Regimen for Orthopedic Infection
3
How The Food Safety Surveillance Infrastructure Works in the US
4
Evaluating Ebola Vaccine Against Current Bundibugyo Species
5