Zika virus news, resources and funding for global health researchers

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.

Top News

• Human footprint is associated with shifts in the assemblages of major vector-borne diseases, co-authored by Fogarty grantees Caroline K. Glidden, Andrew J. MacDonald, and Erin A. Mordecai
  Nature Sustainability, March 13, 2023
• Profile: Fogarty Fellow Dr Leah Katzelnick investigates Zika and dengue viruses in South America
  May / Jun 2021 Global Health Matters
  
• NIH-developed Zika vaccine improves fetal outcomes in animal model
  NIAID/NIH media advisory, December 19, 2019
  
• A systematic review and evaluation of Zika virus forecasting and prediction research during a public health emergency of international concern [Open access], co-authored by Fogarty's Dr Cecile Viboud
  PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, October 4, 2019
  
• Tracing Zika's genetic history
  NIAID Now blog, August 28, 2019
• Dengue immunity may be protective against symptomatic Zika, study finds
  NIAID/NIH news, January 22, 2019

• Related publication: Prior dengue virus infection and risk of Zika: A pediatric cohort in Nicaragua [Open access]
  PLOS Medicine, January 22, 2019

• Gene variations linked to severity of Zika-related birth defects, small NIH study suggests
  NICHD/NIH news, September 17, 2018
  
• Zika infection during pregnancy may disrupt fetal oxygen supply
  NICHD/NIH news, January 18, 2018
• Related publication: Zika virus infection in pregnant rhesus macaques causes placental dysfunction and immunopathology
  Nature Communications, January 17, 2018
• Zika remains a research and public health challenge, say NIAID scientists
  NIAID/NIH news, December 21, 2017
• Zika virus: A new threat emerges
  Supplement to The Journal of Infectious Diseases, December 15, 2017
• Gene-based Zika vaccine is safe and immunogenic in healthy adults
  NIAID/NIH news, December 4, 2017
• Trials show inactivated Zika virus vaccine is safe and immunogenic, results support further clinical development
  NIAID/NIH news, December 4, 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
• 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
  
• 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
• NIH workshop identifies complex health problems among Zika-affected infants: Scientists emphasize need for multidisciplinary care, treatment and research strategies
  NICHD/NIH news, February 20, 2017
• Related publication: Bridging knowledge gaps to understand how Zika virus exposure and infection affect child development
  JAMA Pediatrics, February 20, 2017
• Recorded webcast - Day 1
• Recorded webcast - Day 2
• About the workshop
• Testing of investigational inactivated Zika vaccine in humans begins
  NIAID/NIH news, November 7, 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
  
• Mapping global environmental suitability for Zika virus
  eLife, April 19, 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)
  
• PAHO's Dr Marcos Espinal on global partnerships to fight Zika, Ebola and other diseases
  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:
• Over 400 citations related to Zika available in PubMed
• Full text of many articles related to Zika available for free in PubMed
• Additional free literature from publishers
  courtesy of the Disaster Information Management Research Center at NLM/NIH
  

NIH News and Resources

• Zika Virus - Digital Media Kit
  from the NIH Office of Communications and Public Liaison
• Zika virus information for researchers
  from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) at NIH

Other US Government Resources

• Zika virus news, information and resources from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
• Zika Data Repository on GitHub to encourage public sharing of Zika data
  from the CDC Epidemic Prediction Initiative
• Combating Zika from USAID.

Other Online Resources

• Free portals from leading scientific publications:
• Zika virus from The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (AJTMH)
• Zika virus from The BMJ
• Zika and Global Health from JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association
• Zika virus resource center from The Lancet
• Zika virus information from The New England Journal of Medicine
• World Health Organization (WHO) resources:
• Zika virus disease topic page
  
• WHO Zika virus fact sheet
• WHO Microcephaly fact sheet
• Zika virus information and resources
  from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)
• PAHO helps countries in the Americas prepare for spread of Zika
  PAHO news, January 16, 2016
• Zika Research - A database of published primary research studies and protocols on Zika from PAHO
• Zika information for authors and researchers from PAHO
• Ocular findings in infants with microcephaly associated with presumed Zika virus congenital infection in Salvador, Brazil
  JAMA Ophthalmology, February 9, 2016 (online)
  
• Potential sexual transmission of Zika virus
  Emerging Infectious Diseases, February 2016

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Updated March 14, 2023