Photo ©PAHO-WHO/David Spitz
CC BY-NC 2.0
A pregnant woman in Colombia receives
care during the 2016 Zika outbreak.
Zika virus is a mosquito-borne flavivirus transmitted primarily by Aedes species mosquitoes. Zika can be passed from a pregnant woman to her fetus. Infection during pregnancy can cause certain birth defects. There is no vaccine or medicine for Zika. Local mosquito-borne Zika virus transmission has been reported in the continental U.S. The CDC provides information on Zika for pregnant women, women trying to become pregnant, community health workers, policymakers and other key groups.
At NIH, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) is working with its partners in government, academia, and the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries to better understand Zika virus, the disease it causes, and ways to combat it. Vaccinations have begun in a multi-site clinical trial testing an experimental Zika vaccine developed by NIAID scientists. The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) at NIH is studying how Zika virus infection affects reproductive health, pregnancy, and the developing fetus. NIH is also funding many research projects to study Zika virus.
Fogarty has provided training for researchers in countries impacted by Zika, and has supported mathematical modeling to inform policymakers. While studying Chagas disease in Brazil, funding from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) through Fogarty provided scientists with training in field epidemiology, neuroimaging techniques and other research skills, which they are now leveraging to study and combat Zika. Researchers supported in part by Fogarty had anticipated the international spread of Zika virus from Brazil due to the August 2016 summer Olympic Games.
Updated September 6, 2017
Top News
- Zika virus selectively infects and kills glioblastoma cells in mice
NIAID/NIH news, September 5, 2017
- Experimental Zika virus vaccines restrict in utero virus transmission in mice
NIAID/NIH media advisory, July 13, 2017
- NIH launches prospective study of Zika and HIV co-infection during pregnancy
NICHD/NIH news, July 10, 2017
- Malaria drug protects fetal mice from Zika virus, NIH-funded study finds
NICHD/NIH news, July 10, 2017
- Report: Pregnant Women and the Zika Virus Vaccine Research Agenda: Ethics Guidance on Priorities, Inclusion, and Evidence Generation
Pregnancy Research Ethics for Vaccines, Epidemics and New Technologies (PREVENT) project, June 2017
- Zika vaccine trial site in Peru led by Fogarty trainee
May / Jun 2017 Global Health Matters
- Fogarty-supported Chagas, dengue researchers redirect efforts to tackle Zika virus
May / Jun 2017 Global Health Matters
- Study to examine effects of Zika infection in Guatemalan infants and children
NIAID/NIH news, June 19, 2017
- Zika virus spread undetected for many months, NIH-supported study finds
NIAID/NIH news, May 24, 2017
- Related publications co-authored by Fogarty's Dr. Andrew Rambaut
Nature, May 24, 2017:
- Zika virus persists in the central nervous system and lymph nodes of Rhesus monkeys
NIAID/NIH news, April 28, 2017
- New resource for healthcare professionals and patients: Zika Care Connect (ZCC)
Developed and funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), hosted and maintained by the March of Dimes
- Phase 2 Zika vaccine trial begins in U.S., Central and South America
NIAID/NIH news, March 31, 2017
- NIH begins study of vaccine to protect against mosquito-borne diseases
NIAID/NIH news, February 21, 2017
- From TDR: Call for institutions and/or consultants to undertake landscape analysis on research gaps related to mosquito vectors of the Zika virus
Deadline for applications: January 21, 2017
- Chagas disease studies inform Zika research in Brazil
Nov / Dec 2016 Global Health Matters
- NIH gathers experts to discuss Zika and child development
Nov / Dec 2016 Global Health Matters
- Testing of investigational inactivated Zika vaccine in humans begins
NIAID/NIH news, November 7, 2016
- 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
- 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
- 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 [Archive]
Archive of the White House Fact Sheet, February 8, 2016
- WHO announces Zika virus is a public health emergency of international concern
WHO statement, February 1, 2016