Federal officials say they expect more Zika virus outbreaks in the U.S., although they likely will be limited due to widespread use of mosquito control and air conditioning.
At least six cases of Zika have been confirmed in the U.S. so far, all of them found in people who contracted the virus while traveling to another country. Health authorities reassured Americans Thursday that they’re not expecting a massive epidemic, while warning that measures need to be taken to stop the virus from spreading further.
“It’s possible, even likely, we will see limited Zika outbreaks in the U.S.,” said Anne Schuchat, principal deputy director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But she added that “outbreaks of Zika in the U.S. will likely be limited.”
Officials also warned that a Zika vaccine likely won’t be available for several years, although they’re working on two varieties of vaccines and hope to start phase 1 clinical trials later this year.
“While these approaches are promising, it is important to understand we will not have a widely available, safe and effective Zika vaccine this year and even probably in the next few years,” said National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci.
A mosquito-transmitted infection, Zika was discovered in 1947 but didn’t spread widely in the Western Hemisphere until May. There has been no local transmission yet in the U.S., but it’s spreading rapidly in Brazil and other south American and central American countries. The virus is particularly harmful for pregnant women, as it’s thought to cause a fetal condition called microcephaly in which the head is unusually small and the brain is damaged.
It is causing great alarm to global health officials, with the United Nations health agency calling Thursday for an emergency meeting on Feb. 1 to counter the dramatic rise in the infection, which has been reported in 23 countries and territories in the Americas.
The agency also is concerned the virus is linked to a rare syndrome called Guillain-Barre that can lead to paralysis.
“The level of concern is high, as is the level of uncertainty,” World Health Organization Director-General Margaret Chan said. “Questions abound. We need to get some answers quickly.”
Chan said she is asking the agency’s health committee for “advice on the appropriate level of international concern and for recommended measures that should be undertaken in affected countries and elsewhere.”
“WHO is deeply concerned about this rapidly evolving situation,” she said.
