Faced with mounting concerns about the Zika virus, federal officials want to coordinate with localities to fight the growing outbreak.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced on Friday that a day-long Zika summit will take place at the agency’s headquarters in Atlanta on April 1.
The purpose of the summit is to provide state and local officials from around the country with information on Zika preparedness and how to respond. Local officials will be able to call in to hear the briefing.
“Participants will hear the latest scientific knowledge about Zika, including implications for pregnant women and strategies for mosquito control,” according to a press release.
The meeting comes as health agencies are increasingly worried about the impending summer months. Zika is primarily spread through mosquito bites, and the mosquito that spreads the virus can breed in very little standing water and bite up to four people in one meal.
Therefore, the CDC wants to get a handle on the breeding and spread of mosquitoes, particularly in the warmer, southern states.
Currently, the U.S. has more than 150 cases of Zika, but almost all have stemmed from a person who got infected in another country where the virus is currently spreading. So far, there is no evidence of Zika spreading in the U.S. via a mosquito bite, but there are confirmed cases of sexual transmission.
The CDC believes there will be limited outbreaks of the virus, which is spreading in more than 45 countries, primarily in Central and South America.
Only about one in five people who get infected with Zika show symptoms, which include a mild illness. Officials strongly suspect a link between Zika and the birth defect microcephaly and the neurological disorder Guillain-Barre Syndrome.
