In June 2016, the Allegheny County (Pennsylvania) Health Department reported the first work-related Zika infection in the United States. A researcher in Allegheny County had become infected with the virus following a needlestick incident.
 |
Just a month earlier, in May, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) confirmed the first case of Zika virus acquired in the state. A woman was infected with Zika through sexual contact with an infected partner who returned from a country where Zika virus was circulating.
Although Zika is not yet widespread in the United States, potential exposures clearly exist. What’s the risk in your workplace? Obviously, healthcare and laboratory workers are at risk of Zika, but are workers in other industries? And what steps can you take to protect workers against Zika infection?
Here’s what the CDPH, federal OSHA, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have to say.