Industry News
Free Digital Resources to Support the Fight Against the Zika Virus
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The Health division of Wolters Kluwer , a global provider of information and point of care solutions for the healthcare industry , is aiding clinicians in the battle against the rapidly spreading Zika virus through the provision of free online access to a number of its industry leading medical content and clinical decision support resources .
First reported in Brazil in 2015 , active Zika outbreaks have now been confirmed in at least 34 countries or territories .
The Zika virus is spread to people primarily through the bite of an infected mosquito . Other modes of transmission are also emerging , including sexual transmission by men infected with the virus . The most common symptoms are fever , rash , joint pain and red eyes . Symptoms are usually mild , lasting for several days to a week . Patients typically do not get sick enough to require hospitalisation , and rarely does the virus lead to death . However , there are reports of severe birth defects among babies born to infected mothers , the most common being microcephaly in which the baby ’ s head is smaller than expected . Evidence also indicates that the Zika virus is associated with Guillain-Barre syndrome , an autoimmune disease which manifests as paralysis .
April / May 2016
“ Zika has quickly progressed from a single-country outbreak to being designated by the World Health Organization as a ‘ public health emergency with international concern ’,” said Diana Nole , CEO , Wolters Kluwer Health . “ By providing clinicians with complimentary access to our intuitive clinical decision support tools and trusted medical content , Wolters Kluwer is arming them with the information they need to effectively diagnose and treat those who become infected to limit the poor outcomes , especially among newborns .”
The resources that are being made available include :
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Pre-defined Zika virus expert services on Ovid ®
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On Lippincott NursingCenter ®, a special Zika virus page and a patient education tool have been created , the latter of which can be found under “ Related Reading .”
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From Audio-Digest , a lecture on Zika by Amesh A . Adalja , M . D ., FIDSA , FACP , FACEP , with the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center , that provides an update on what physicians and other healthcare professionals need to know about the infection at this stage of the outbreak . The lecture and other important information sources can be accessed here .
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Clinical Drug Information has added a virus monograph authored by the medical experts at UpToDate ® to its Patient Education topics and “ Zika Virus , Molecular and Antibody ,” a laboratory testing and diagnostic monograph . Both are accessible via Lexicomp ® Online , Integrated Patient Education and Consumer Education Center .
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UpToDate has opened access to Zika virus infection and Patient information : Zika virus infection ( The Basics ). Both topics will be continuously updated as new information is revealed . Additional virus content is also available to UpToDate subscribers .
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ProVation ® Order Sets powered by UpToDate Decision Support , has developed Zika virus order sets for use in pediatric , adult emergency and adult outpatient settings .
“ Defeating this virus will take enormous effort by every stakeholder , including clinicians , nurses , pharmacists and even patients . With Wolters Kluwer ’ s tools and unmatched evidence-based solutions we are confident that the challenges will become a little less insurmountable ,” said Nole . •