Past Infectious Disease Outbreaks Can Help Inform Zika Efforts

Jean-Paul Gonzalez, MD, PhD, Deputy Director, Center of Excellence for Emerging and Zoonotic Animal Diseases (CEEZAD), Kansas State University, Adjunct Professor, Kansas State University, explains the importance of vector control in the fight against Zika.

Interview Transcript (slightly modified for readability)

“What we’ve learned from Ebola regarding the actual pandemic of Zika is to be prepared, to be ready to fight against the evading movement [and] strategy of the Zika virus.

But, for the Zika virus, the most important [thing] is the mosquito. The mosquitoes are the vectors and eventually can be reservoirs because [they] could [cause] transatlantic transmission of the virus. It’s a very important question, how to control the mosquitoes. However, here in the US, we are used to controlling mosquitoes for West Nile [virus], so we know the strategy. So, [we can use the] same type of approach if we want to control potentially infected mosquitoes for Zika, using the same tools we were using for the West Nile, for Chikungunya, and other mosquito-transmitted diseases.”