Pathfinder
Editor, Senior Moderator
The Fight Against Zika Can?t Wait for a Vaccine
Ranu S. DhillonDevabhaktuni SrikrishnaDavid Beier
AUGUST 18, 2016
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The next best thing is widespread testing of at-risk populations so new cases can be identified immediately and prevented from transmitting to others. Widespread testing can also pinpoint ?hot spots? where community-wide measures like mosquito spraying should be targeted. This strategy mirrors whatTony Fauci of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has outlined for stamping out HIV/AIDS, for which there is also no vaccine.
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Currently, however, most pandemic-prone diseases, including Zika, are diagnosed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), a technique that requires special laboratories and highly trained technicians. These are difficult to scale or decentralize. The United States does not have enough PCR capacity to screen every pregnant woman ? approximately 2% of the total population. Though the Florida government is officially committed to free testing for all pregnant women, capacity is limited and some women must pay $150 to $500 to get tested at private labs. This gap exposes systemic vulnerabilities to pandemic threats and bioterrorism. If we were facing a pathogen more widespread than Zika, how could we test 100% of the population if we cannot even screen 2%?
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https://hbr.org/2016/08/the-fight-against-zika-cant-wait-for-a-vaccine
Ranu S. DhillonDevabhaktuni SrikrishnaDavid Beier
AUGUST 18, 2016
...
The next best thing is widespread testing of at-risk populations so new cases can be identified immediately and prevented from transmitting to others. Widespread testing can also pinpoint ?hot spots? where community-wide measures like mosquito spraying should be targeted. This strategy mirrors whatTony Fauci of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has outlined for stamping out HIV/AIDS, for which there is also no vaccine.
...
Currently, however, most pandemic-prone diseases, including Zika, are diagnosed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), a technique that requires special laboratories and highly trained technicians. These are difficult to scale or decentralize. The United States does not have enough PCR capacity to screen every pregnant woman ? approximately 2% of the total population. Though the Florida government is officially committed to free testing for all pregnant women, capacity is limited and some women must pay $150 to $500 to get tested at private labs. This gap exposes systemic vulnerabilities to pandemic threats and bioterrorism. If we were facing a pathogen more widespread than Zika, how could we test 100% of the population if we cannot even screen 2%?
...
https://hbr.org/2016/08/the-fight-against-zika-cant-wait-for-a-vaccine