Utilizing an Equitable and Multifaceted Zika Screening Tool to Identify At-Risk Individuals For Testing and Education: Successes Challenges and Lessons Learned in Harris County Texas.

摘要

BackgroundHarris County Public Health (HCPH) is the health department for Harris County, Texas jurisdiction, representing 2.3 million residents. Located in the nation’s Third most populous county, HCPH’s 13 wellness clinics and WIC centers provide services for over 100,000 patients annually.Since late 2015, HCPH confirmed 46 individuals with Zika infection/disease, including two infants with microcephaly and congenital disease. Over two-thirds of these infections were in individuals of Hispanic origin, including all twelve infected pregnant women, two of whom were unaccompanied minors.Due to Harris County’s geographic vulnerability to Zika, highly mobile residents, and HCPH’s largely low-income Hispanic and refugee clinic population, equitably screening and educating patients about Zika exposure is of paramount importance.