Michelle,

I serve as the Occupational Medicine consultant for several research facilities in the Washington, DC metropolitan area actively involved in Zika Virus research, as well as, a large multinational (non-biotech) Company and several Biomedical Research Companies that regularly sends its employees to Zika Virus endemic areas.  I will share with you my experience in this matter.

In general, all of these Companies have a policy that require ALL employees to be review the CDC Zika Virus web site (www.cdc.gov/zika )  concerning the most current advice for travelers to Zika Virus endemic areas prior to any assignment to these areas.  Furthermore, all of these Companies have a policy that they will NOT allow pregnant women to work in these assignments. 

Furthermore, most of these Companies will permit women of childbearing age to work directly with the Zika virus and to  travel to Zika Virus endemic areas. That said, most of these Companies will require a signed consent form by the employee that they have, at the minimum, reviewed the CDC Zika Virus web site in order to document for the Company that they were compliant with the OSHA General Purpose Clause, as well as, to address any potential legal liability.  None of the Companies have elected to pursue routine commercial “pre-exposure” or “post-exposure” Zika virus testing of these asymptomatic, non-pregnant employees. 

Incidentally, I was called earlier this year to manage a female researcher of child bearing age who suffered a needle-stick exposure from a Zika Virus laboratory-infected ferret.  The local Health Department and State of Maryland were duly contacted.   Due to the fact that this was an occupationally-related exposure, I was immediately referred to CDC for testing of the employee. The CDC contact referred me to their Fort Collins, Colorado lab which apparently handles all Zika Virus blood and urine testing in the USA.  Thankfully, the researcher was not pregnant nor did she seroconvert from the exposure.

I hope this is helpful.

Sincerely,

Michael

Michael A. Sauri, MD, MPH&TM, FACP,

FACPM, FACOEM, FRSTM&H, CTropMed

Medical Director

Occupational Health Consultants

15005 Shady Grove Road

Suite 450

Rockville, MD 20850

Tel 301-738-6420

Fax 301-738-2215

msauri@ohmd.com

www.ohcmd.com

All,

Wondering if you do any baseline testing for zika researchers who may travel to areas and have personal exposure ( mosquito bite) in zika at risk areas?  Researcher has no symptoms, but wondered if we wanted to be able to differentiate between possible exposure outside the laboratory.  We do not, but I wondered if others do, and if yes, how you differentiate between possible lab exposure prior to personal exposure, etc. Thoughts?

Thanks!

Michelle
Michelle Kom Gochnour, MN, RN, COHN-S
Senior Occupational Health & Safety Consultant | Occupational Health Safety & Wellbeing
Seattle Children's Hospital

206-987-4058  OFFICE   

206-985-3159  FAX

michelle.gochnour@seattlechildrens.org

OFFICE   4300 Roosevelt Way NE, Seattle, WA 98105   

MAIL      M/S RC-411, PO Box 5371, Seattle, WA 98145-5005

WWW     seattlechildrens.org

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