Given the recent rapid spread of Zika virus (ZIKV) throughout the Americas and the presence of its vector mosquito species within parts of the United States, RADM Nicole Lurie, Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, determined an urgent need for additional research to better characterize ZIKV, especially those issues related to the means of transmission and infection during pregnancy.

At the request of Lurie, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine convened a 1-day public workshop on February 16, 2016, to discuss and explore key factors associated with ZIKV, a single-stranded RNA virus of the Flaviviridae family transmitted to humans primarily through the bite of an infected Aedes species mosquito, and its emergence in the United States. Read “Potential Research Priorities to Inform Public Health and Medical Practice for Domestic Zika Virus: Workshop in Brief” now