CDC Zika Action Plan Summit: Coordinating a U.S. Response
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) hosted the one-day Zika Action Plan Summit on April 1, 2016, to organize a coordinated national response to the Zika...
- The event brought together more than 300 participants in Atlanta, including health experts, non-government partners, and officials from federal, state, and local jurisdictions.
- The primary objective of the summit was to prepare for the likelihood of mosquito-borne transmission of the Zika virus within the continental United States.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) hosted the one-day Zika Action Plan Summit on April 1, 2016, to organize a coordinated national response to the Zika virus.
The event brought together more than 300 participants in Atlanta, including health experts, non-government partners, and officials from federal, state, and local jurisdictions.
The primary objective of the summit was to prepare for the likelihood of mosquito-borne transmission of the Zika virus within the continental United States.
Planning and Readiness
The summit aimed to identify existing gaps in readiness and provide technical support to states as they developed their own Zika action plans.
These jurisdictional plans were intended to allow states to effectively prepare for and respond to active transmission of the virus.
At the time of the April 1, 2016, summit, active Zika transmission was already occurring in American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
CDC Director Tom Frieden, M.D., M.P.H., noted that hundreds of travelers with Zika had already returned to the continental U.S., suggesting that clusters of the virus could appear in the coming months.
Public Health Risks
A central focus of the coordinated response was the link between the mosquito-borne illness and microcephaly, a devastating birth defect.
Due to this link, the CDC emphasized the necessity of minimizing exposure for pregnant women.
CDC Press Release
Urgent action is needed, especially to minimize the risk of exposure during pregnancy,said CDC Director Tom Frieden, M.D., M.P.H.
Frieden stated that Everyone has a role to play
and indicated that federal support would assist state and local leaders and community partners in developing comprehensive plans to fight the virus.
Scientific and Operational Agenda
The summit agenda included a science plenary focused on preparing for and responding to the Zika virus.
Presenters for the plenary session included Tom Frieden, Denise Jamieson, M.D., M.P.H., Medical Officer for the Division of Reproductive Health. Beth Bell, M.D., M.P.H., Director of the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases; and Lyle Petersen, M.D., M.P.H., Director of the Division of Vector-Borne Diseases and Incident Manager for Zika Response.
The event also featured a panel titled Controlling and Responding to Mosquito-borne Illnesses
, which was moderated by Anne Schuchat, M.D., Principal Deputy of the CDC and Rear Admiral of the US Public Health Service.
Panelists contributing to the discussion on mosquito-borne illness response included:
- Daniel Kass, MSPH, Deputy Commissioner for Environmental Health for the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
- Carina Blackmore, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVPM, Deputy State Epidemiologist and Acting Director of the Division of Disease Control and Health Protection
Attendees were provided with the latest scientific knowledge regarding the implications of Zika for pregnant women and specific strategies for mosquito control.