Speaking at a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services expert consultation on Zika Virus in the Americas in Washington on Thursday, Dr. Sylvain Aldighieri of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) addressed the current state of Zika surveillance in the Americas.
While the ability to detect the virus is growing, it remains difficult to say what effect the increased awareness will actually have.
“It is hard to say exactly what the burden of disease in the region is, or will be in the future,” Aldighieri said.
Aldighieri used the conference as an opportunity describe to PAHO’s integrated surveillance strategy and advocate for the need to continue training primary health care workers in identifying and reporting Zika cases in addition to strengthening laboratory capacities
Aldighieri participated in the Zika Virus Pathogenesis, Epidemiology and Natural History discussion at the two-day consultation, along with experts from FIOCRUZ, the Yale School of Public Health, the Evandro Chagas Institute, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, and the University of Texas’ Medical Branch
Some of the goals of the consultation are to find critical gaps in knowledge, technologies, research infrastructure and regulatory oversight needed to address the current epidemic, and to identify possible solutions that could help combat the Zika virus.