Yellow Fever News and Research

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Yellow fever virus, a flavivirus, is transmitted to humans through the bite of infected mosquitoes. Illness ranges in severity from a self-limited febrile illness to severe hepatitis and hemorrhagic fever. Yellow fever disease is diagnosed based on symptoms, physical findings, laboratory testing, and the possibility of exposure to infected mosquitoes. There is no specific treatment for yellow fever; care is based on symptoms. Steps to prevent yellow fever include use of insect repellent, protective clothing, and vaccination. Yellow fever occurs in tropical regions of Africa and in parts of South America. Yellow fever is a very rare cause of illness in U.S. travelers. The last epidemic of yellow fever in North America occurred in New Orleans in 1905.

West Nile virus may cause delayed fatalities long after recovery, new study finds

West Nile virus may be much more deadly than previously believed, with deaths attributable to the mosquito-borne disease occurring not just in the immediate aftermath of the infection but also years later, long after patients seem to have recovered from the initial illness, according to a new study presented today at the 2016 Meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH)

16 Nov 2016

Study shows how Zika virus infection leads to production of smaller disease-causing RNAs

Researchers, led by scientists at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, have found basic molecular processes used by the Zika virus to "hijack" the cells that it infects and potentially how it makes molecules that are directly linked to disease.

11 Nov 2016

Mosquito-borne diseases appear to be driven by infections in and around homes, research suggests

Outbreaks of the mosquito-borne disease chikungunya appear to be driven by infections centered in and around the home, with women significantly more likely to become ill, suggests new research from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the Institut Pasteur in Paris and the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh.

8 Nov 2016

Clinical study to test safety and ability of investigational Zika vaccine candidate begins

The first of five early stage clinical trials to test the safety and ability of an investigational Zika vaccine candidate called the Zika Purified Inactivated Virus (ZPIV) vaccine to generate an immune system response has begun at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research Clinical Trial Center in Silver Spring, Maryland.

7 Nov 2016

TSRI scientists elucidate how Zika virus attacks the brains of newborns

In a study that could one day help eliminate the tragic birth defects caused by Zika virus, scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute have elucidated how the virus attacks the brains of newborns, information that could accelerate the development of treatments.

17 Oct 2016

Research findings provide new avenues to target virus infection

Viral infection is one of the leading medical challenges of the 21st Century, ranging from the Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) epidemic affecting 3% of the global population, to recent outbreaks of West Nile, Zika, and Ebola viruses.

12 Oct 2016

Culex mosquitoes not involved in transmission of Zika virus, study finds

A Biosecurity Research Institute study has found important results in the fight against Zika virus: Culex mosquitoes do not appear to transmit Zika virus.

5 Oct 2016

Two Zika vaccine candidates protect newborn mice against neurological damage

Two vaccines against Zika virus developed at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine have successfully conveyed immunity from female mice to pups conceived weeks after the mother's vaccination.

4 Oct 2016

Research reveals how Zika virus arrests fetal brain development in pigtail macaque

For the first time, abnormal brain development following a Zika infection during pregnancy has been documented experimentally in the offspring of a non-human primate.

12 Sep 2016

Scientists reveal new structural insights on key protein from mosquitoes linked to spread of Zika

As health departments around the U.S. boost efforts to combat Zika, scientists are working on new ways to kill the mosquitoes that carry the virus. One approach involves understanding the molecular mechanisms that keep the bugs alive so we can then undermine them.

9 Sep 2016

Pre-travel consultation can help international travelers to prepare for trip

International tourism exceeds 1.2 billion persons each year, with more than 20 percent of travelers reporting some type of illness.

31 Aug 2016

New research shows female mosquitoes can pass Zika virus to their offsprings

New research from The University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston has shown that female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes can pass the Zika virus to their eggs and offspring.

30 Aug 2016

Scientists isolate new multicomponent virus from mosquitoes

Scientists have identified a new "multicomponent" virus -- one containing different segments of genetic material in separate particles -- that can infect animals, according to research published today in the journal Cell Host & Microbe.

26 Aug 2016

Cloned Zika virus could be used for development of attenuated vaccine

Stopping the explosive spread of Zika virus - which can lead to birth defects in babies born to infected mothers - depends on genetic insights gleaned through new tools and models.

23 Aug 2016

Geographers map internal migration across three continents to help combat infectious diseases

Geographers at the University of Southampton have completed a large scale data and mapping project to track the flow of internal human migration in low and middle income countries.

22 Aug 2016

Large emergency vaccination campaigns to curb yellow fever outbreak in Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo

One of the largest emergency vaccination campaigns ever attempted in Africa will start in Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo this week as WHO and partners work to curb a yellow fever outbreak that has killed more than 400 people and sickened thousands more.

17 Aug 2016

New odour-baited traps offer effective and safe solution to fight against malaria mosquito

The use of a newly-developed mosquito trap incorporating human odour has resulted in a 70% decline in the population of the most significant malaria mosquito on the Kenyan island of Rusinga.

10 Aug 2016

Scientists modeling new control mechanism to combat Zika-infecting mosquitoes

The images are heartbreaking: thousands of infants born with small, misshapen heads, the result of a rare neurological disorder, called microcephaly, which can cause a myriad of intellectual and developmental disabilities. The culprit? Zika, a mosquito-borne virus that has swept through many parts of South America and more recently surfaced in Florida.

8 Aug 2016

New study provides projections for Zika outbreaks in the Americas through January 2017

With the report from Florida Gov. Rick Scott on Monday that 14 people in the state have been infected with the Zika virus most likely through mosquito transmission, the concern about outbreaks in the U.S. has intensified.

3 Aug 2016

Scientists seeking blood donations from people exposed to arboviruses for dengue, Zika vaccine research

Researchers at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine are conducting studies that utilize blood donations from individuals who have been diagnosed with or potentially exposed to mosquito-borne viruses as part of ongoing dengue and Zika research and vaccine development.

2 Aug 2016