As concerns surrounding the Zika virus rise, one UL Lafayette nursing professor is joining the effort to educate professionals as the virus arrives in the states. Dr. Helen Hurst, who is also the graduate coordinator for the College of Nursing and Allied Health Professions at UL, is one of three speakers featured in an educational webinar.
The education tool “Zika Preparedness and Response: What Nurses Need to Know” gives an overview of the Zika virus — an old disease carried by mosquitoes that cropped up recently in South America and came to the U.S., causing alarm for the connection to extremely small heads and a severe brain birth defect in the babies born to mothers who contracted the virus. While Zika is rarely fatal, it has become a new public health issue, leaving professionals grappling with the reality versus the hype. The World Health Organization has deemed Zika a public health emergency of international concern.
Also included in the webinar are Dr. Nancy Cheal, a health scientist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Dr. Pamela Aaltonen an associate professor and associate head of Purdue University’s School of Nursing and chair of the executive board of the American Public Health Association.
The webinar is available through April 13. The webinar only without CE credit is free. For more info, visit nursingworld.org. — AJH