2016 Global Development Forum: Combating Infectious Disease: The Unfolding Threat of Zika

In U.S. coastal areas, in Puerto Rico, in Brazil and virtually every other country in the western hemisphere, there is the rising threat that the swift spread of the Zika virus will result in an epidemic of infants born with severe brain damage and adults who suffer paralysis. Poor women in their child bearing years, and their partners, are especially vulnerable. This plenary session will examine the evolving response, at home and abroad, to what WHO declared on February 1 to be a global health emergency. It will address financing gaps; the capacities essential to control mosquitoes and the delivery of health services; the economic and developmental implications; the evolving science surrounding Zika and efforts to accelerate the development of vaccines and rapid tests; and the centrality of high-level political leadership.

Opening Remarks:
Amy Pope
Deputy Homeland Security Adviser and Deputy National Security Adviser, National Security Council, The White House

Featuring:
Daniel Dulitzky
Manager, Health, Nutrition, and Population, Latin America and Caribbean Region, World Bank

Marcos Espinal
Director, Communicable Diseases and Health Analysis, Pan-American Health Organization

Patrick Kachur
Medical Officer for the Malaria Branch, Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria, Center for Global Health, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Moderated by
J. Stephen Morrison
Senior Vice President and Director, Global Health Policy Center, CSIS

The GDF is an annual component of CSIS's ongoing "Chevron Forum on Development" series, which seeks to highlight innovative approaches and the role of the private sector in global development.