Zika Virus News and Research

Latest Zika Virus News and Research

Researchers develop rapid, cost-effective method to create human cortical organoids

Writing in the current online issue of the journal Stem Cells and Development, researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine describe development of a rapid, cost-effective method to create human cortical organoids directly from primary cells.

7 Sep 2018

Researchers identify Zika virus proteins with potential to affect brain development

In healthy individuals, the Zika virus causes flu-like symptoms. If a pregnant woman becomes infected, the unborn child can suffer from severe brain abnormalities as a result of mechanisms that have not yet been explained.

4 Sep 2018

Researchers report how Zika proteins hijack host cells

Most people infected with Zika never show symptoms. But the virus sometimes causes severe disability -- from microcephaly in babies to weakness or partial paralysis in adults -- and there is no treatment.

28 Aug 2018

NIH begins first-in-human trial of experimental live, attenuated Zika virus vaccine

Vaccinations have begun in a first-in-human trial of an experimental live, attenuated Zika virus vaccine developed by scientists at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health.

16 Aug 2018

Long term effects of Zika virus exposure during pregnancy studied

Zika is a mosquito borne virus that can be dangerous in pregnant women as it can cause severe congenital malformations and damage to the baby. The extent of danger however is not known and a large study followed children who were exposed to this virus during their time within the womb.

7 Aug 2018

Young children are more vulnerable to climate-related health risks, shows study

Young children are far more vulnerable to climate-related disasters and the onus is on adults to provide the protection and care that children need, according to research by Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health and Columbia University Irving Medical Center.

7 Aug 2018

Unique experimental vaccine against Zika virus proves powerful in mice

A uniquely designed experimental vaccine against Zika virus has proven powerful in mice, new research has found.

6 Aug 2018

Mice study shows mother's dengue immunity protects unborn from ZIKA infection

Dengue and Zika viruses are closely related and carried by mosquitos. In infested subtropical and tropical areas, dengue transmission often precedes Zika virus infection, suggesting that women who previously acquired dengue immunity may be bitten by ZIKV-carrying mosquitoes during pregnancy.

2 Aug 2018

Zika virus may be sexually transmissible for shorter period than previously estimated

Zika virus may be sexually transmissible for a shorter period than previously estimated, according to a systematic review published this week in PLOS Medicine by Michel Counotte and Nicola Low of the University of Bern in Switzerland, and colleagues from the World Health Organization, US Centers for Disease Control and National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease. The review included analysis of data from both human and animal studies, and was conducted to describe the epidemiology of sexual transmission of ZIKV.

25 Jul 2018

New vaccine could protect unborn babies from Zika virus

Until recently, the Zika virus was not a priority since it affected relatively few people and the cost of creating a vaccine was estimated at EUR 149-468 million. But the spread of Zika in the Americas and discovery of a link with reduced head size and brain damage in babies of women infected while pregnant changed that.

20 Jul 2018

Researchers to investigate role of hormones in mosquito's ability to use human blood for egg production

Entomologists at the University of California, Riverside have received a five-year grant of $2.44 million from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, or NIAID, to investigate the role hormones play in the female mosquito's ability to use human blood for egg production.

16 Jul 2018

Purdue startup to create sensor that provides early detection of mosquito-borne diseases

A startup created by Purdue University professors is developing a sensor that can detect dangerous mosquito-borne tropical diseases faster and at a lower cost than current methods, giving health officials time to take action before the viruses are transmitted to humans.

13 Jul 2018

New class of chemical compounds has potential for treating Zika virus and RSV

A new and promising class of chemical compounds has major potential for treating Zika virus and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, according to a new study by University of Alberta scientists. The next step is to develop a drug.

12 Jul 2018

Scientists take a deep dive into differences between Zika and dengue virus

More than two years after reports of skyrocketing Zika rates surfaced worldwide, questions still loom about this complicated virus.

6 Jul 2018

Scientists use stem cells to uncover why the Zika virus is so infective

Researchers have made an important discovery about the Zika virus that could lead to the development of more effective measures to protect people.

5 Jul 2018

Zika virus-related pregnancy loss in humans may be more common than thought

Fetal death in utero occurred in more than one-fourth of monkeys infected in the laboratory with Zika virus in early pregnancy, according to new research published in Nature Medicine.

3 Jul 2018

Undetected Zika infections may be cause stillbirths and miscarriages

A collaborative study between six of the National Primate Research Centers shows pregnancy loss due to Zika A infections that don't cause women any symptoms may be a common but unrecognized cause of miscarriages and stillbirths.

2 Jul 2018

Researchers conduct survey to understand people's perceptions on Zika virus

In a summer outbreak that posed significant risks to pregnant women and their fetuses, 29 people in Miami-Dade County were infected with the Zika virus between late June and early August of 2016, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

30 Jun 2018

BWH researchers develop rapid Zika detection test using mobile health technologies

The Zika virus, which continues to cause microcephaly and other neurological complications in infants whose mothers were infected during pregnancy, remains a public health concern.

29 Jun 2018

Scientists discover secret to success of antiviral gene

It's been known for years that humans and other mammals possess an antiviral gene called RSAD2 that prevents a remarkable range of viruses from multiplying.

25 Jun 2018