The Zika virus has been around for nearly 70 years, but an outbreak earlier this year has put the disease squarely on the public’s radar. In fact, on February 1, 2016, the World Health Organization declared Zika and the spread of the disease to be a “public health emergency of international concern.”
The workplace is not immune from Zika concerns. In fact, in many cases, the workplace will likely be at the forefront of both preventing the spread of and leading the response to the disease.
In response to the international crisis, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) jointly issued new Interim Guidance for Protecting Workers from Occupational Exposure to Zika Virus in April 2016 designed to protect workers from occupational exposure to the Zika virus.