ZIKA

Researchers have found that it is possible to bolster the immunity of the Aedes aegypti mosquito, the species that transmits Dengue, Zika, and Chikungunya, against these viruses and effectively suppress its ability to transmit the disease.

A team of dermatologists and gynecologists recently described their work with a 23-year-old pregnant woman in Florida who was eventually confirmed as the first documented case of Zika virus infection acquired via a mosquito bite sustained in the local area.

The year 2016 may be over, but the fight against the infectious disease that dominated headlines for most of the year—Zika virus—has only just begun.

While more information on the Zika virus is revealed, researchers are saying that the United States can rest a little easier over concerns of a large-scale outbreak.

A new coalition created by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and other global partners will launch at this year’s World Economic Forum, with the goal of supporting the fast-tracked development of new vaccines.

Researchers from the National Institutes of Health recommend integrating men into the family-planning process in the age of Zika.

Daniel Eiras, MD, MPH, hospital epidemiologist at NYU Langone Medical Center, discusses efforts to understand the Zika virus.

Daniel Eiras, MD, MPH, hospital epidemiologist at NYU Langone Medical Center, discusses Zika response at NYU Langone Medical Center.

Contagion’s Top Five Zika-related news stories over the past year are included in this article.

On December 14, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a Zika-related travel and testing guidance for Brownsville, Texas and the surrounding area after local officials confirmed 5 cases of the virus linked to local mosquitoes.

Today, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a safety document cautioning healthcare providers from relying solely on commercial IgM Assay results when diagnosing Zika, as false positives have been observed.

Daniel Eiras, MD, MPH, hospital epidemiologist at NYU Langone Medical Center, discusses Zika virus diagnostics.

A DNA-based Zika virus vaccine developed by Inovio Pharmaceuticals proves successful in phase I open-label dose-ranging human trials.

Daniel Eiras, MD, MPH, hospital epidemiologist at NYU Langone Medical Center, explains how hospitals and healthcare systems can identify where resources need to be allocated when preparing for Zika outbreaks.

New, cost-effective technology from a biotech start-up may be able to revolutionize Zika diagnosis.

More on the latest news regarding Zika virus research in pregnant women and their growing fetuses is included in this article.

Researchers from Brazil evaluated the use of optical coherence tomography to assess the impact of congenital Zika virus infection on infants’ eyes.

Daniel Eiras, MD, MPH, hospital epidemiologist at NYU Langone Medical Center, talks about prevalence of Zika in pregnant women in New York.

Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have published more information on the incidence of birth defects in infants born to mother infected with the Zika virus.

Researchers found that 6% of fetuses or infants congenitally infected with the Zika virus developed birth defects.

The latest news regarding the spread of the Zika virus in the United States, and recent discoveries on how Zika infects the human brain is included in this article.

A defense mechanism by which plants and animals fight off RNA viruses was recently observed in human cells for the first time, offering researchers a look at new ways to treat viral diseases.

Researchers from Brazil have developed a platform that can successfully diagnose hundreds of different viruses.

Researchers in a new study have utilized the human antibody response to a salivary peptide in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes to determine the effectiveness of vector-control methods.