Infectious Diseases

The World Health Organization has declared the Zika virus a global public health emergency. This designation gives the WHO and member states the ability to recommend limits on travel to prevent the potential spread of disease and to call for emergency measures and resources to combat an outbreak. The last time the WHO used this mechanism was during the recent Ebola crisis in West Africa.

The close involvement of the WHO, while there is still a lot of uncertainty about the disease, may tell us two things: that the WHO is seeking to learn from its failure to Ebola, after it was heavily criticized for its slow response; and that BRIC countries, such as Brazil, may be playing an increasingly important role in global health—their health priorities now have a global audience.

Good outbreak control relies on applying a package of interventions, namely case management, surveillance and contact tracing, a good laboratory service, safe burials, and social mobilization. Community engagement is key to successfully controlling outbreaks and to reduce human transmission.

One key lesson from the Ebola response can be applied to Zika—that the success of any intervention will depend on community acceptance. Public health teams must work with community organizations from the start to ensure that prevention and treatment methods are accepted by those who are at risk of the disease and that broader societal concerns are addressed.