In a notorious scene in the film Marathon Man, a runner (played by Dustin Hoffman) is repeatedly asked by the Nazi dentist character (played by the late Laurence Olivier), “Is it safe?” With the Olympic Games due to start on Aug 5 and Paralympic Games on Sept 7, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, a country […]
To date, 39 countries and territories have confirmed local, vector-borne transmission of Zika virus disease in the Region of the Americas since 2015 (Figure 1). Since the last Pan American Health Organization/ World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) Zika Epidemiological Update on 2 June 2016, no additional countries or territories confirmed vector-borne autochthonous transmission of Zika virus. […]
WRAIR is working on the vaccine in collaboration with other U.S. government agencies, including theBiomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority — part of the Department of Health and Human Services — and the National Institutes of Health National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. It is also exploring collaborations with pharmaceutical companies, Thomas said. The […]
Here we report the ophthalmic findings of an infant (age at exam: 57 days; head circumference: 33 cm; weight at birth: 3500 g; gestational age at birth: 38 weeks) who was referred for ophthalmic examination by a neurologist for suspected congenital Zika virus infection. This case highlights that microcephaly should not be a required criterion […]
Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS) say they have found that interferon-induced protein 3 (IFITM3) can dramatically reduce the ability of Zika virus to infect human and mouse cells. In some cases, IFITM3 can also prevent Zika virus from killing our cells. IFITM3 blocks Zika virus infection. When human cells are exposed […]
Existing evidence and unpublished data shared with WHO highlight the wider range of congenital abnormalities probably associated with the acquisition of Zika virus infection in utero. In addition to microcephaly, other manifestations include craniofacial disproportion, spasticity, seizures, irritability and brainstem dysfunction including feeding difficulties, ocular abnormalities and findings on neuroimaging such as calcifications, cortical disorders […]
Substances in a common plant can kill larvae of the mosquito that helps spread the viruses that cause Zika, chikungunya and dengue fever. That’s the discovery of a teen from the Philippines. His research may help public health officials develop a way to slow the spread of those deadly diseases. It also may give homeowners […]
We are writing to express our concern about the upcoming Olympic and Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. WHO’s declaration of Zika as a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern,” coupled with new scientific findings that underscore the seriousness of that problem, call for the Rio 2016 Games to be postponed and/or moved to another […]
The researchers developed a mathematical model with six periods of assumed increased risk of microcephaly given Zika infection to investigate when the risk of infection and the magnitude of the risk were greatest. The period of risk with the best fit was infection in the first trimester of pregnancy. The risk of microcephaly associated with […]
Turns out that accident-prone rectangle (i.e. smartphone) you rely on to update all your virtual friends is actually a pretty powerful computing device. IBM, which operates a corporate HQ here in Armonk, have announced they’re hoping to harness the power of your Android phone, tablet, or PC to run virtual experiments on potential compounds that may treat the Zika virus, […]
