Johns Hopkins Medicine opens multidisciplinary Zika virus center

Johns Hopkins Medicine formally opened the Johns Hopkins Wilmer Zika Center on Tuesday, becoming the first known multidisciplinary Zika virus center in the world.

The center is composed of providers and related staff from departments and divisions at Johns Hopkins Medicine and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, which includes epidemiology, infectious diseases, maternal-fetal medicine, ophthalmology, orthopedics, pediatrics, physiotherapy, psychiatry and social work. Johns Hopkins said that medical experts from Brazil, a nation currently experiencing an outbreak of the virus, would also be a part of the new center.

“Patients will no longer be required to travel to multiple centers for care relating to Zika virus,” Dr. William May, associate professor of ophthalmology at the Johns Hopkins Wilmer Eye Institute, said. “Physicians and staff members in various departments at Johns Hopkins will be available to provide comprehensive care to patients within one institution.”

Adults and children worldwide can be referred to the center by outside physicians or through multiple Johns Hopkins departments and divisions.

“When a patient, particularly a pregnant woman, contracts Zika virus, it can be a tremendously alarming experience,” Dr. Jeanne Sheffield, director of maternal-fetal medicine for the Johns Hopkins Hospital, said. “Our team will be able to coordinate our efforts to determine patients’ needs and provide the best care possible.”