Washington D.C., 17-19 October, 2016.- The technical meeting on psychosocial support, rehabilitation and clinical management of neurological complications associated with the Zika virus infection took place at PAHO Headquarters and was coordinated by the Mental Health and Substance Use Unit, and the Epidemic Alert and Response and Water Borne Diseases Unit. It was attended by representatives of WHO and UNICEF, of the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and of Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Canada, El Salvador, Mexico, Honduras, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Colombia, Costa Rica, and Venezuela, among others.
The objectives of the meeting were to present an updated overview of the situation and the impact of the outbreak of Zika in the Region; present and discuss PAHO/WHO guidelines for psychosocial support and management in the context of Zika virus infection; discuss guidelines/recommendations for rehabilitation in cases of Guillain Barre Syndrome and congenital syndrome associated with Zika virus infection; and to identify training strategies for the implementation of the material developed.
A new perspective of the disease was generated from discussions: it moved from a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) to an endemic disease that will have a long term impact in terms of disability, and will need rehabilitation as an essential resource for the proper management of complications. Experts made valuable contributions to enrich the guidelines that are being developed, which will soon be available to be applied in the Region.
