Flavivirus ; Humans ; Immunity ; Vaccines ; Zika Virus ; Zika Virus Infection/prevention & control*

Zika virus (ZIKV) is an emerging pathogen associated with neurological complications, such as Guillain-Barré syndrome in adults and microcephaly in fetuses and newborns. This mosquito-borne flavivirus causes important social and sanitary problems owing to its rapid dissemination. However, the development of antivirals against ZIKV is lagging. Although various strategies have been used to study anti-ZIKV agents, approved drugs or vaccines for the treatment (or prevention) of ZIKV infections are currently unavailable. Repurposing clinically approved drugs could be an effective approach to quickly respond to an emergency outbreak of ZIKV infections. The well-established safety profiles and optimal dosage of these clinically approved drugs could provide an economical, safe, and efficacious approach to address ZIKV infections. This review focuses on the recent research and development of agents against ZIKV infection by repurposing clinical drugs. Their characteristics, targets, and potential use in anti-ZIKV therapy are presented. This review provides an update and some successful strategies in the search for anti-ZIKV agents are given.
Adult ; Animals ; Drug Repositioning ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Microcephaly ; Pharmaceutical Preparations ; Zika Virus ; Zika Virus Infection/prevention & control*

To avoid a future catastrophic event like the recent Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) outbreak, we must reform our health system based on an objective and thorough review of the outbreak. A little over a year after the outbreak, this paper aims to evaluate the current status of the government's effort to reform our health system across the three following areas: 1) infectious disease emergency preparedness and response; 2) an organized healthcare system for infectious diseases; and 3) hospital preparedness for healthcare-associated infections. In spite of the substantial organizational changes of the Korea Centers for Disease Control (CDC) responsible for infectious disease emergency preparedness and response, the Korea CDC has not shown significant improvement in its competence and organizational commitment in the face of recent infectious disease threats such as Zika virus and cholera. So far, the Korean government has not announced an implementation plan for establishing an organized healthcare system for infectious diseases. To reduce healthcare associated infections, the Korean government implemented major changes in the hospital infection control system, emergency medical service system, and enhanced nursing system. Because the most extensive reform occurred around reducing healthcare-associated infections in hospitals, we need to evaluate the impact of the entire reform effort in a near future. Because the effort to reform our health system remains ongoing, we also need to continue to observe the progress of reform to ensure the avoidance of a future catastrophic event like the recent MERS outbreak.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.) ; Cholera ; Civil Defense ; Communicable Diseases ; Coronavirus Infections ; Cross Infection ; Delivery of Health Care* ; Emergency Medical Services ; Health Care Reform* ; Korea ; Mental Competency ; Nursing ; Organizational Innovation ; Zika Virus