Health Care Responsibilities: Zika

While attending a residency application question and answer meeting, I learned that 2016 marks the first year in over a decade that my mentor will not be taking medical students on an international health elective. She emphatically explained that it would be unethical to expose students to known Zika virus-infected areas, and irresponsible to potentially create a reservoir of Zika virus to bring back to the United States. Her second point resonated with me, because I had just examined a patient in clinic who commutes every two weeks between Puerto Rico and Orlando, Florida. He is a 30-year old male who engages in sexual activity with women only and reports inconsistent condom use. This worries me.

Puerto Rico has been hardest hit by the Zika virus pandemic, and is ground zero for Zika virus infection in the United States and territories. Between index case documentation on November 23, 2015 and January 28, 2016, there were 155 suspected Zika virus disease cases in Puerto Rico (Thomas, 2016). As of May 18, 2016, there are 544 reported travel-associated Zika virus disease cases (10 sexually transmitted; 1 Guillain-barré syndrome) in the United States and 0 locally-acquired vector borne cases (http://www.cdc.gov/zika/geo/united-states.html). The U.S. Zika virus infection in the United States and territories (USZPR) and the Zika Active Pregnancy Surveilance System (ZAPSS) registries are tracking cases of pregnant women with any laboratory evidence of possible Zika virus infection in the U.S. and territories, and reporting data every Thursday at the following website: http://www.cdc.gov/zika/geo/pregwomen-uscases.html  As of May 12, 2016, there were 157 pregnant women in the U.S. and District of Columbia with laboratory-suspected Zika virus infection.

Zika virus can spread from a pregnant woman to her fetus and is known to cause microcephaly and other brain abnormalities (ACOG Practice Advisory, March 31, 2016). The virus can also be transmitted through unprotected sex with a male partner, spurring the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) HAN (Health Alert Network) advisory for the prevention of sexual transmission of Zika virus (Oster, 2016). Clinical criteria for Zika virus disease include the presence of (Simeone, 2016):

• Guillain-Barre syndrome;

OR

• in utero findings of microcephaly or intracranial calcifications in a mother with clinically compatible symptoms or epidemiologic risk factors (eg. sexual activity with a known Zika infected man) for Zika virus infection;

OR

• one or more of the following symptoms

1. fever;
2. rash;
3. arthralgia;
4. conjunctivitis

Zika virus disease is not the first maternal virus infection to cause or be associated with congenital abnormalities, but it is the first known mosquito-borne infection to cause congenital anomalies in humans. The virus’ current behavior and long-term health consequences are still poorly understood, imparting urgency to disease control efforts. The CDC travel advisory for the country of interest by our international health elective recommends the following:

• Women who are pregnant should not travel to areas in which there is known vector-borne disease;
• Women who are pregnant should use condoms or not have sex (vaginal, anal, or oral) during the pregnancy with a male who has been exposed to a Zika-infected area;
• Women and men who are trying to become pregnant should consider the risks of a Zika virus infection and strictly follow steps to prevent mosquito bites;
• Men who traveled to or live in an area with Zika, and who have a pregnant partner, are recommended to use condoms or not have sex (vaginal, anal, or oral) during the pregnancy.

Reflecting on my clinical encounter with the Puerto Rican male who commutes regularly between known-Zika infected areas and the imminently vector-infected United States, I wonder if he is aware that he poses a risk. Does he believe, as so many often do, that he could not possibly be the one to acquire or sexually transmit an infection? Has he considered the possibility that he could serve as a viral reservoir?

In light of current evidence regarding Zika virus disease and the significant risks, I agree with my mentor’s decision to limit medical student international travel to Zika-infected areas. And I ask myself and readers, what is the responsibility of medical professionals in regards to communicable disease containment?

For more information, please see the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) and CDC websites for clinical updates. An updated practice advisory by ACOG and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine can be found at this link: http://www.acog.org/About-ACOG/News-Room/Practice-Advisories/Practice-Advisory-Interim-Guidance-for-Care-of-Obstetric-Patients-During-a-Zika-Virus-Outbreak

References

Thomas DL, Sharp TM, Torres J, et al. Local Transmission of Zika Virus — Puerto Rico, November 23, 2015–January 28, 2016. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2016;65place_Holder_For_Early_Release:154–158. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6506e2

Oster AM, Brooks JT, Stryker JE, et al. Interim Guidelines for Prevention of Sexual Transmission of Zika Virus — United States, 2016. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2016;65place_Holder_For_Early_Release:120–121. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6505e1

American College of Obstetrics & Gynecology. ACOG Practice Advisory: Updated Interim Guidance for Care of Women of Reproductive Age During a Zika Virus Outbreak. March 31, 2016. Available at: http://www.acog.org/About-ACOG/News-Room/Practice-Advisories/Practice-Advisory-Interim-Guidance-for-Care-of-Obstetric-Patients-During-a-Zika-Virus-Outbreak  Retrieved May 23, 2016.

Simeone RM, Shapiro-Mendoza CK, Meaney-Delman D, et al. Possible Zika Virus Infection Among Pregnant Women — United States and Territories, May 2016. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. ePub: 20 May 2016. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6520e1

Featured image:
Zika Mosquitoes (05810440) by IAEA Imagebank

Ashley Franklin

​​Ashley is a member of the University Of Central Florida College Of Medicine class of 2017. She graduated from Rollins College with a B.A. with Honors in Chemistry. Ashley is a varsity rower of ten years, as well as an enthusiastic runner, cyclist, climber, and hiker. She is passionate about women’s health, and plans to pursue a career in Obstetrics and Gynecology. Her research interests include exercise in pregnancy, the health concerns and practices of pregnant athletes, adolescent gynecology, the implementation of new OB/GYN guidelines, and medical education. Ashley also enjoys reading, crocheting, collaging, and dancing.