Zika Virus: Epidemiology, Virology, and Counter Measures

At IDWeek 2016, Mark Mulligan, MD, Hope Clinic at Emory Vaccine Center discussed his team's recent projects studying the natural history of Zika infection and their Zika vaccine trial. In their study of US travelers (residents of Atlanta) who went to Zika - affected areas and became ill, Mulligan and team look at the levels of virus in various body fluids and also study their immune responses. Mulligan said that the point of studying Zika's history is to get fundamental information to better design and develop counter measures that are vaccines, treatments, and diagnostic tests. He explained the primary need is to develop vaccines for women and pregnant women, and that it's also important to start thinking of Zika as a sexually transmitted infection.