Better Research for Better Health: University of Oxford and Fiocruz partner to improve health research and capacity development globally

Survey launched to understand clinical and research impact of INTERGROWTH-21st tools after 170,000 downloads

Within the Zika virus (ZIKV) research community, a new and remarkable kind of collaboration is taking place

Re-visiting the evolution, dispersal and epidemiology of Zika virus in Asia. A commentary from the authors.

Pettersson et al provide a short commentary on their research article Re-visiting the evolution, dispersal and epidemiology of Zika virus in Asia published in Emerging Microbes & Infections in May 2018. This work was supported by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under ZIKAlliance Grant Agreement no. 734548 and ZikaPLAN Grant Agreement no. 734584.

Spread of Chikungunya Virus East/Central/South African Genotype in Northeast Brazil

Abstract We investigated an outbreak of exanthematous illness in Maceió by using molecular surveillance; 76% of samples tested positive for chikungunya virus. Genetic analysis of 23 newly generated genomes identified the East/Central/South African genotype, suggesting that this lineage has persisted since mid-2014 in Brazil and may spread in the Americas and beyond.

ZIKAlliance’s Clinical Meeting in Cuba 12-14 August, 2017

Successful technology transfer of a Zika vaccine developed by Institut Pasteur Shanghai-Chinese Academy of Sciences (IPS-CAS) to Chongqing Zhifei Biological Products Co., Ltd.

Institut Pasteur Shanghai-Chinese Academy of Sciences (IPS-CAS), a partner of the ZIKAlliance consortium, announced that it has entered into a collaborative research agreement with Chongqing Zhifei Biological Products Stock Co., Ltd. (Zhifei) for the clinical studies and commercialization of a recombinant Zika virus subunit vaccine developed by IPS-CAS.

Risk of microcephaly after Zika virus infection in Brazil, 2015 to 2016

Based on the reported data from Brazil in 2015/16, this publication describes a plausible range for the risk of microcephaly in women who were infected with Zika virus during pregnancy compared to those who were not infected. The key message is that the large uncertainty around the risk estimate needs to be further investigated because of a) the possible existence of co-factors that are yet to be validated, b) the assumptions that need be made for the proportion of women who were infected during pregnancy.

Funding available for the SPSAS in Arbovirology in Brazil

Study of volunteer blood donors in Martinique provides new information about Zika virus infection

This pioneering study provides a precise follow-up of incident cases and seroprevalence in blood donors, and it also provides important insights into the management of blood donations during ZIKV outbreaks and into the natural history of ZIKV infection in adults. It suggests that the study of blood donors during outbreaks of emerging pathogens has become a key element of epidemiological surveillance.

Axl Mediates ZIKA Virus Entry in Human Glial Cells and Modulates Innate Immune Responses

This study highlights the dual role of Axl during ZIKV infection of glial cells: promoting viral entry and modulating innate immune responses. Therefore, inhibiting Axl function may represent a potential target for future antiviral therapies.

Global research platforms receive €30M to combat Zika

Global research platforms receive €30M to combat Zika   Oxford --21 October 2016, ISARIC members are part of two successful bids to the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme that will set up multinational and multi-disciplinary research consortia to combat Zika virus (ZIKV) infection and build pandemic preparedness in Latin America and the Caribbean over the next 3 to 5 years, the European Commission announced today.

Launch of Mesh: a new online platform co-created by its users and aiming to improve Community Engagement

Today,The Global Health Network launches Mesh: a new online platform co-created by its users and aiming to improve Community Engagement with health in low and middle income countries.

World Malaria Day 2016: Significant Gains, Closing the Gaps

Laboratory systems and diagnostic technologies are a critical pillar in the fight against malaria. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends diagnostic testing for all people with suspected malaria before treatment is administered.

Understanding the Zika virus

U.S. efforts to combat the Zika virus in the US and abroad

Travel Medicine in the era of Chikungunya, Ebola, and Zika virus

Travel Medicine and Infectious Diseases have evolved rapidly in recent decades as outbreaks such as SARS, Avian Influenza, Ebola, MERS, Chikungunya, and Zika virus have demonstrated how quickly infections can cross international borders.

The High Stakes of Fighting Zika: the Virus Challenging Public Health Systems

Great article from our colleagues at the African Society for Laboratory Medicine about Zika virus.

CDC Video about Zika virus

The Zika virus is another wild card dealt to us by nature. It was first discovered in 1947.