Enhancing surveillance for early detection of Zika virus infection: strategies for the countries of Eastern Mediterranean Region

Zika virus infection (ZIKV) has caused major outbreaks in tropic and sub-tropic areas. No case from ZIKV has yet been reported in the countries of the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) despite the presence of competent vector Aedes mosquitoes in many of these countries. This study addresses appropriate surveillance strategies for early detection of ZIKV infection, which is important for EMR countries with established Aedes populations, but with no known or documented autochthonous transmission of ZIKV. The WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean developed a strategic framework for enhancing surveillance for ZIKV infection in EMR countries with established Aedes populations through a consultative process and review of available evidence. The framework calls for enhancing surveillance for early detection of ZIKV infection using a combination of both syndromic and event-based surveillance approaches. Enhancing surveillance for ZIKAV would require no shift in the existing system. A number of considerations would be required to integrate this syndromic and event-based surveillance approaches within the existing system.