Zika Simmers On Back Burner As World Copes With String Of Viral Menaces
A frightening outbreak of the mosquito-borne illness in 2015 and 2016 left many children around the world with devastating brain damage. The New York Times reports on how families and researchers are struggling to find a cure as attention dried up in the wake of the covid-19 pandemic.
The New York Times:
The Forgotten Virus: Zika Families And Researchers Struggle For Support
A procession of mothers pushed children in bulky wheelchairs down a long corridor at a health center in this northeastern Brazilian city, passing patients who glanced at the children, looked away, then looked back, quickly and uneasily. ... Most Brazilians know as soon as they see them: These are Zika babies, whose mothers were infected with the virus while pregnant during a virulent outbreak of the mosquito-borne illness in 2015 and 2016. The chief signifier at birth was microcephaly, unusually small heads that hinted at the devastating brain damage the virus caused while they were still in utero. (Nolen, 8/16)
Science:
Zika, Dengue Viruses Make Victims Smell Better To Mosquitoes
The viruses that cause Zika and dengue fever can’t get from person to person on their own—they need to hitchhike inside a mosquito. A new study suggests how they hail these rides: They make their victims smell more attractive to the blood-sucking bugs. It’s "a big advance," says mosquito neuroscientist Laura Duvall of Columbia University, who wasn't connected to the research. The work shows that "infection with these mosquito-borne viruses can alter the way some people smell … to make them more likely to be bitten." (Leslie, 6/30)
ScienceDaily:
New Smartphone Clip-On Can Detect Zika Virus In Blood Samples
In a new study, researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have combined their efforts to develop an instrument that can be clipped on to a smartphone to rapidly test for Zika virus in a single droplet of blood. (7/29)
Simple Flying:
Aircraft Insecticide: Why Certain Plane Cabins Are Sprayed Before Departure
Have you ever wondered why the cabin crew sometimes walk down the plane aisle, spraying a mysterious liquid in the air before departure? The reason why is that some countries require aircraft cabins to be sprayed with pesticides to kill insects and stop the spread of diseases such as malaria, yellow fever, and Zika. This can occur either before the flight takes off or while the plane is airborne. Another method is to spray the aircraft and wipe down surfaces while no passengers are on the plane. This method is the most effective and has been seen to kill insects for up to eight weeks. (Finlay, 8/14)
La Jolla Institute For Immunology:
The Life Of A Scientist Studying Zika And Dengue
As a member of the Shresta Lab, Julia Timis is working to guide vaccine design by shedding light on the human immune response to flaviviruses, the viral family that includes dengue virus, Zika virus, yellow fever virus, and Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV). (McCurry-Schmidt, 8/28)
