Zika Virus Diagnostic Tools

Daniel Eiras, MD, MPH, hospital epidemiologist at NYU Langone Medical Center, discusses Zika virus diagnostics.

Interview Transcript (slightly modified for readability)

“There have been several advances in terms of diagnostic techniques for Zika. Now, the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)] recommends that commercial labs be used for a majority of patients. That’s going to affect the turnaround time in terms of diagnostics, so, that’s going to help dramatically. That might change the way that hospitals address their surveillance component for Zika.

It’ll allow a quicker turnaround time for identifying patients, and also for ruling out certain patients who may have been exposed to Zika but have no evidence of infection. That can change the way that [hospitals] allocate certain resources like ultrasounds and further blood testing.”