As summer inches closer, growing mosquito populations and numbers of vacationers traveling South pose an increased threat of Zika virus transmission inside the continental United States – maybe even in our own backyard. While U.S. health officials don’t expect the same size and scale outbreak as in Latin America, the same ethical issues are likely to emerge, particularly regarding Zika and pregnant women.

While Zika has typically been regarded as a relatively benign virus — only about 20 percent of those infected develop symptoms — the dramatic increase in babies born with Zika-linked microcephaly has led to an international public health emergency, explained Michele Barry, MD, director of Stanford’s Center for Innovation in Global Health. –

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Stanford Law fellow Yanbai Andrea Wang, PhD, meanwhile, closed the panel by outlining the broader challenges in global pandemic response and preparedness amidst a dysfunctional and siloed global regulatory environment. “A country where Zika is already spreading faces very different incentives than a neighboring country that is at risk of importing the disease,” she said.

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