Zika virus is a mosquito-borne flavivirus transmitted primarily by Aedes species mosquitoes, according to the CDC. Symptomatic disease is generally mild. However, because a marked increase in the number of infants born with microcephaly has been reported in the current outbreak in Brazil, the CDC issued interim guidelines for pregnant women during a Zika virus outbreak in January 2016.
Researchers supported in part by Fogarty are anticipating the international spread of Zika virus from Brazil due to the August 2016 summer Olympic Games. And in a recent article in the New England Journal of Medicine, NIAID Director Dr. Tony Fauci called for "broad and integrated research" to better understand the potential threat of Zika virus. NIAID has developed a research approach with partners in government, academia, and the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. NIH is also funding these and other research projects to study Zika virus.
Updated September 28, 2016
Top News
- September 2016 NICHD/NIH workshop: Bridging Knowledge Gaps to Understand How ZIKV Exposure and Infection Affect Child Development
- HHS makes progress on Zika, yellow fever vaccines
Sep / Oct 2016 Global Health Matters
- Zika: mapping the emerging evidence - freely-accessible external scientific resources relevant to Zika virus from the WHO
- Updated Zika Data Repository on GitHub to encourage public sharing of Zika data
from the CDC Epidemic Prediction Initiative
- USAID announces initial results of Grand Challenge to Combat Zika
USAID news, August 10, 2016
- NIH begins testing investigational Zika vaccine in humans
NIAID/NIH, August 3, 2016
- Encouraging public-private partnerships to combat Zika
State Department news, July 11, 2016
- NIH funds Zika virus study involving U.S. Olympic team:
Researchers will monitor potential infections among group of U.S. athletes traveling to Brazil
NICHD/NIH news, July 5, 2016
- Zika vaccines protect mice from infection
NIH-funded research suggests human vaccine is possible
NIAID/NIH news, June 28, 2016
- NIH launches large [international] study of pregnant women in areas affected by Zika virus
NIAID/NIH news, June 21, 2016
- Research needed to help treat children affected by Zika
The Blog post, Huffington Post, by NICHD Director Dr. Catherine Y. Spong, June 21, 2016
- Zika in the United States of America and a fateful 1969 decision
PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, May 26, 2016
- Microcephaly Risk After First Trimester Zika Infection as High as 13 percent:
Zika and the Risk of Microcephaly
The New England Journal of Medicine, May 25, 2016
- NIH-supported scientists have cloned the Zika virus:
An Infectious cDNA Clone of Zika Virus to Study Viral Virulence, Mosquito Transmission, and Antiviral Inhibitors
Cell Host and Microbe, May 16, 2016
- CDC reports urine testing for Zika might be more accurate than blood analysis:
Comparison of Test Results for Zika Virus RNA in Urine, Serum, and Saliva Specimens from Persons with Travel-Associated Zika Virus Disease - Florida, 2016
CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), May 13, 2016
- Zika ethics consultation: Ethics guidance on key issues raised by the outbreak
PAHO, published May 2016
- Wolbachia blocks currently circulating Zika virus isolates in Brazilian Aedes aegypti mosquitoes
Cell Host and Microbe, May 4, 2016
- Mapping global environmental suitability for Zika virus
eLife, April 19, 2016
- USAID announces $30 million grand challenge to combat zika and future disease threats
USAID news, April 13, 2016
- Scientists determine exact structure of Zika, findings could help lead to vaccine, cure, with NIAID support
Science, March 31, 2016
- NIH-funded scientists develop mouse model for Zika:
Journal article: Characterization of a Novel Murine Model to Study Zika Virus
American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, March 28, 2016 (online)
- Research funders [Medical Research Council UK, Wellcome Trust and Newton Fund, FAPESP] join forces to tackle Zika virus, including list of funded awards
MRC news, March 21, 2016
- NIAID's Fauci urges continued global vigilance on Zika, other diseases
Fogarty news, March 23, 2016
- Zika and birth defects: the evidence mounts
Blog post by NIH Director Dr. Francis S. Collins, March 15, 2016
- Ebola, Zika modelers aim to inform policy decisions
Mar / Apr 2016 Global Health Matters
- PAHO's Dr Marcos Espinal on global partnerships to fight Zika, Ebola and other diseases
Mar / Apr 2016 Global Health Matters
- Commission considers how to improve global disease outbreak response
Mar / Apr 2016 Global Health Matters
- Global scientific community commits to sharing data on Zika
Wellcome Trust news, February 10, 2016
- Publication resources for researchers:
- National Science Foundation issues call for Zika virus proposals
NSF news, February 10, 2016
- NPR on what NIH is doing to spur Zika virus research:
Virus profilers race to figure out what makes Zika tick
NPR Health News, February 9, 2016
- Preparing for and responding to the Zika virus at home and abroad
White House Fact Sheet, February 8, 2016
- WHO announces Zika virus is a public health emergency of international concern
WHO statement, February 1, 2016