Health & Human services

Zika Virus Guidelines for Health Care Providers

What is Zika? 

Zika virus is a mosquito-borne flavivirus transmitted by Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes.  Zika virus can also be spread by sexual contact with an infected person, blood transfusions, laboratory contamination, and perinatal transmission. It has been linked to adverse outcomes in newborns, including microcephaly, eye defects, hearing loss and impaired growth. Additionally, there is an association between Zika and Guillain-Barre’ Syndrome (GBS), a disease affecting the nervous system. To date in California, Zika virus infections have been documented only in people who were infected while traveling outside the United States or through sexual contact with an infected traveler. Since the Zika outbreaks of 2016, reported Zika cases in the Americas have rapidly declined and are now outnumbered by reported dengue cases by a ratio of approximately 200:1. Dengue virus currently is causing large outbreaks in many areas of the world, with low to no Zika virus transmission being reported globally. Given the decrease in risk of Zika, testing guidelines were updated in November 2019.

Report and Request Testing

Providers must report all suspected cases of Zika virus infection among patients who are Long Beach residents to the LBDHHS via phone at (562) 570-4302.

Zika Testing Guidelines- Updated 1.2020 

If you are requesting testing for a patient or reporting a suspect case who is pregnant please fill out the Zika Test Request Form and fax to the Long Beach Health Department at (562) 570-4374.

Questions?

Please contact the Communicable Disease Control Program at (562) 570-4302.