Global Health: Zika Virus in the US - Health Systems and Communication

This report provides a comprehensive overview of the Zika virus in the United States, examining its impact from a global health perspective. It begins by defining global health and the interconnectedness of disease spread, highlighting the importance of strong public health systems. The report then delves into US health indicators, including life expectancy, mortality rates, and specific disease metrics, providing data from the WHO. Determinants of health, as defined by the WHO and the US government, are explored, including socio-economic and physical environments, individual behaviors, and access to health services. The US health system's response to the Zika virus, primarily through the CDC, is detailed, including tracking, training, and public education initiatives. Global health ethics policies in the US, focusing on health equity and international research, are discussed. The report also analyzes health communication strategies employed to address the Zika virus, emphasizing preparation, seasonal awareness, and responses to local transmission. Finally, it underscores the importance of promoting positive social changes through effective public health communication to mitigate the spread of the virus. The report concludes by emphasizing the need for robust international coordination to control the global threat of the Zika virus.

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Zika Virus in United States
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Zika Virus in United States
Introduction
Studies undertaken by different researchers describe global health as the measure of
burden caused by disease across the world. The current globalization and interconnectedness
implies that a major threat of disease in any country carries the possibility that the same can be
spread globally. Strong public health systems globally can help in stopping the risk of spreading
of such diseases across the world. The strong national public health systems work in synergy to
improve the global health security. As of 1 January, 2017 there were more than 180 Zika virus
cases reported in the US. Mitigating the spread of the virus in the US requires robust strategies
and initiatives of communication that are undertaken to promote positive social change when
combating its spread.
Health indicators in the US
Some of the health indicators include the expectancy of life span and mortality,specific
causes of mortality and morbidity, selected diseases which are infectious and coverage of health
to the population. The metrics that measure life expectancy and mortality include expectancy of
life at birth and age 60, infant and under-five rates of mortality and adult mortality (between 15-
60 years). The life expectancy was 79 years at birth and 23 years ay age sixty for the US in 2013
(WHO, 2015). The infant and under-five mortality rates was 5.9 and 6.9 years in the US during
the same period (WHO, 2015). WHO (2015) data also shows that the adult mortality rate in the
US was 76 years of age in 2013.
The cause specific mortality and morbidity metric used by the WHO are the
communicable, conditions which are non-communicable and injuries that cause deaths.. The
morbidity measure was based on deaths arising from HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis. The
mortality rate stood at 31 for communicable conditions, 413 for non-communicable conditions

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and 44 for deaths caused by injuries (WHO, 2015).There was no data from the WHO on
morbidity rates for HIV/AIDS and malaria while the tuberculosis rate was at 3.3%. The
aggregate for “other diseases” leading to deaths of children below five years stood at 23%.
Several infectious diseases were used by the World Health Organization to measure the
selected diseases indicator. These include diphtheria, leprosy, malaria, measles and meningitis.
There was no reported case of diphtheria in the year 2013 while there were 188 reported cases of
leprosy in the US for the same period (WHO, 2015). The World Health Organization (WHO)
did not have any data available for reported cases of meningitis and malaria for the US during
this period. The reported cases of measles stood at 187 during the year 2013 in the US. The
Institute of Medicine, US (2013) states that the above figures need to be interpreted using
epidemiological patterns and methods of collecting data within the US in order to arrive at
meaningful results.
Determinants of Health
The determinants of health within the parameters of the WHO include the socio-
economic environment, the physical environment and individual behaviors of a person (WHO,
2017). The US government uses the following different metrics as the determinant of health:
policy-making, social factors, healthy services, individual behavior/genetics (Healthy People,
2017). The policies undertaken at the federal, state and local level affect the health status of the
population and individuals. Policies such as the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act
affect entire populations across different states. This Act resulted in increased safety standards
for motor vehicles.
Social factors are affected by determinants such as daily resource needs, social attitudes
and norms, poverty, quality of education and residential segregation (Kronenfeld, 2013). These

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social factors contribute to determining the individual and collective health status of citizens in
the US. In addition to the above, physical factors such as levels of exposure to toxic substances
and other hazards affect the status of health. Physical barriers also affect persons with disabilities
while housing and neighborhoods also affect the status of health. Aesthetic elements such as
trees and good lighting ultimately contribute to determining the status of healthy in the US.
Access to Health services and the quality provided affect and determine the status and
quality of health at the individual and population levels. Through the Healthy People 2020,
several barriers to accessing health services have been identified (Healthy People, 2017). These
include the lack of available health services which leads to delays in receiving appropriate health
care. High costs, lack of insurance coverage and the limitations of language use all contribute as
barriers to accessing health services. These barriers to health may lead to health needs being
unmet, hospitalizations that are unnecessary and inability to get services which are preventative
in nature.
Individual behavior plays a crucial role in determining the status of the health of an
individual. Focusing on changing individual behaviors through public health interventions leads
to improved health status. An example is when an individual quits smoking and which results in
reducing their risk of developing heart disease and complications (Healthy People, 2017).
Individual behavior determinants are affected by diet, physical activity, hand hygiene and drug
use. The choices made by the individual collectively contribute to determining the health status
of the individual. The choices made can reduce the prevalence of occurrence and reoccurrence of
chronic diseases that may affect the individual.
US Heath system response to the Zika virus

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There were 185 reported cases of Zika in the US in 2013, of which 184 were from
travelers returning from affected areas (CDC, 2017). The response by the US health system is at
the federal level where the Center for Disease Control (CDC) is the main agent. The CDC
responds to the Zika virus threat by tracking its spread in the US and around the global. The
agency is also involved in training Zika disease detectives who can track and detect it (CDC,
2017). Healthcare providers are also trained in how to identify the virus while also educating the
public on how to protect themselves from the virus. The agency also provides laboratories with
diagnostic capabilities while also testing samples provided by medical facilities.
Global Health Ethics Policy in the US. One of the key ethical global issues addressed
by the US health system is the consideration of global health equity (WHO, 2015). One policy
response has been the encouragement for US health institutions to partner with less developed
countries in the effort to promote global health equity (Macklin, 2012). One example is the
partnership between the US health partners and Rwanda in 2012 (Adams, Wagner, Nutt &
Binagwaho, 2016). The Human Resources for Health (HRH) was instituted as a long-term
comprehensive commitment to build anew the system of medical education in Rwanda. Faculty
members from the US are sent to train their Rwandese counterparts in teaching hospitals across
Rwanda.
Another area of global health ethics is international research in less developed countries.
The policy position taken within the US is based on research that is conducted outside its borders
and research done within the US. The policy position revolves around human subjects, research
on vertebrate animals and intellectual property (Hall, Streitz & Hall, 2016). Human trial subjects
relate to consents required of individuals and groups. The US is a signatory of some International
Conventions and Codes such as the WHO and the Council for International Organization of

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Medical Sciences (Hall, Streitz & Hall, 2016). Gomez & Ruger (2015), state that Federal grants
are given to do international research on the basis of the recipients being in compliance with the
US laws and the foreign country regulations.
Health communication strategies in the US. The health communication strategy in the
US is based on heath communication strategies, cultural competence, annual observances and
campaign resources (CDC, 2017). Health communication involves advertising, media advocacy
and media literacy. Cultural competence builds capacity for health providers to embrace values
and behaviors that enhance cross-cultural competence in service delivery. Campaign resources
include awareness of diseases such as HIV. Annual observances reinforce achievements and
milestones achieved in the communication strategy, such as the Cervical Health awareness mo
nth. These initiatives collectively form the strategy taken to communicate on health issues.
The communication strategy taken for controlling the Zika virus is posited on four
elements: preparation, season where mosquito breeding is prevalent, first cases of local
transmission which are confirmed and cases where transmission is widespread (Reynolds,
2017). This strategy is prepared for communication in all the states and is effective in addressing
the above four interventions. The preparation stage raises awareness for the public on the risks of
infection. The communication during mosquito season focuses on travel advisories for travelers.
The first confirmed local transmission emphasizes on monitoring local news and releasing
appropriate responses. When the transmission is widespread, there is intensified countrywide
communication to raise awareness.
Promoting positive social changes to address Zika virus threat in the US. Promoting
public health communication is the first step that is necessary in promoting positive social
change (WHO, 2016, Lammert et al, 2017). Working with the media, the public can be given

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relevant information on the virus. This information should be concise, touching on the vector,
transmission and populations at risk. This information will change individual behavior such as
sexual activity before and during pregnancy that puts persons at risk of infections (Peteresen et
al, 2016). Lammert et al (2017) posits that travelers and pregnant women who are at the highest
risk will then make relevant changes in sexual choices made that will reduce the prevalence of
Zika virus infections.
The Zika virus is a global disease that requires robust coordination between nations in
order to mitigate its spread. The US has scored well in health indicators and determinants as
shown in data from the WHO. The US health systems have responded to the Zika virus primarily
through the agency of the CDC. The policies instituted on global health ethics focus on areas of
research and global health equity. The communication strategies taken in the US health system
with regards to the Zika virus are preventive in nature. This communication strategy is also the
most important promoter of positive social change in mitigating the spread of the Zika virus.

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