Scientists and our public health infrastructure are critical for pandemic preparedness. Zika virus, a mosquito-borne disease with devastating effects on fetal brain development, continues to present a significant public health threat with far-reaching consequences for the U.S. economy and society. The virus gained global attention during the 2015-2018 epidemic, which was found to cause severe birth defects and disrupted birth rates and economies, across the Americas.
WaNPRC Associate Director of Research Kristina Adams Waldorf has been pivotal in identifying the threats posed by the Zika virus, and her findings are a perfect example of why research is essential to protect the U.S. public health and our economy. Dr Adams Waldorf’s research conclusively proved that Zika virus caused fetal brain injury, which reduced alternate theories and focused public health efforts.
Although the Zika virus epidemic began in Brazil, it wasn’t long before cases began spreading in Florida and Texas. This is why studying viruses in faraway places that can travel in the blood of an infected person and jump into mosquito populations in the U.S. is so important.
In early 2016, the news about Zika virus had reached mainstream newspapers in the U.S. Then, in the summer of 2016, the virus was found to be spreading locally in areas of Miami. Seemingly overnight, key voting populations and economic drivers in Florida were galvanized to support the scientific research for Zika virus.
“I was being contacted by real estate developers in Florida, who were seeing the value for housing cratering in areas of Miami near the Zika virus outbreak,” Adams Waldorf said. “Grandparents in Florida began donating to my research program, because their adult children were canceling visits to Florida based on fear of acquiring Zika virus.”
This fear was sufficient to cripple real estate and tourism in Florida, creating a crisis directly linking the virus with economic disruptions. A part of the economy that employs more than a million people and accounts for more than a billion dollars in economic activity had officials deeply worried. A decline in birth rates and an increase in medication abortion in Central and South America reflected the same worries of many American women and young families, who were trying to get pregnant.
The Zika virus outbreak also led to one extremely unusual incident in which the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency approached Dr. Adams Waldorf about the threat of bioterrorism from Zika.
“The CIA was concerned at the time that bad actors might be intentionally spreading Zika virus in the U.S. to create social and economic havoc in Florida and Texas,” Adams Waldorf said. “But this threat isn’t a complex international spy mystery. It’s about sick people getting on planes. This is why studying viruses that cause fetal birth defects is so important for our national security. They might seem unimportant and faraway, but they are literally in our backyard.”
The Adams Waldorf Lab is now studying the ways that fetal brain injury from Zika and other viruses can be detected during a pregnancy, which was a flash point for women who wanted to get pregnant or were currently pregnant during the Zika epidemic. Reassuring pregnant women that their pregnancies were healthy would have gone a long way to bolstering public health during this epidemic.
Government officials chose to spray areas of Miami, where Zika virus infected mosquitoes had been identified to eliminate the danger that it posed to Florida citizens. Fortunately, Zika virus was eliminated in Florida through these efforts, but the risk remains for a new epidemic.
Zika virus is now present in mosquitos and other animals throughout South and Central America, Dr. Adams Waldorf said. Once there are enough children in these populations that lack Zika virus immunity, because they weren’t alive or didn’t get infected in the 2015-2018 epidemic, there may be a new Zika virus epidemic.
The Adams Waldorf Laboratory is also identifying other viruses that could wreak havoc on public health and the economy. For example, the Oropouche virus is spread by midges and mosquitos and can be passed from a pregnant woman to their fetus. Oropouche has been associated with birth defects and stillbirths, similar to Zika. But the overall risk is still unknown and needs further study.
Studying birth defects caused by viruses is central to both public health and national security. But that can’t happen without researchers doing the basic science that will give public policymakers the information they need to make informed decisions.