How Some U.S. Hospitals Are Preparing for Spread of Zika Virus
October 19, 2016 | Strategic Insights for Health System
The number of confirmed U.S. Zika virus cases has increased over time, and because experts fear the trend may continue, several U.S. hospitals have opened Zika-specific units, according to a September 15, 2016, article in Health Facilities Management. Forty-three mosquito-borne cases of Zika virus had been confirmed in the United States as of September 7, 2016, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). All cases were in Florida, most in Miami-Dade County. A thousand miles north, Johns Hopkins has established a center for Zika diagnosis and treatment. Wilmer Eye Institute is key in aiding the Hopkins effort because Zika infection can have "a devastating effect" on the eyes of babies, in addition to the more widely reported brain defects. "The reason this became high on our radar screen is that more than half of babies in Brazil born with Zika have profound eye problems," said the eye institute's director, quoted in the article.