Zoonotic & Vector-Borne Diseases

As Congress debates action to combat the virus, a patient in Salt Lake County, Utah has lost the fight against Zika.

According to a recent study, screening for microcephaly can no longer adequately determine whether or not a baby has suffered abnormalities due to a congenital Zika infection.

Abdulla Al-Khan, MD, director of the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine and Surgery at Hackensack University Medical Center, discusses the prognosis for babies born with Zika-linked microcephaly.

Abdulla Al-Khan, MD, director of the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine and Surgery at Hackensack University Medical Center, discusses the medical condition of the tri-state area's first Zika-linked microcephaly baby.

Because protection against this mysterious virus is essential, as is a need to understand it, researchers have been using the resources that are available to learn more about Zika and how to prevent infection.

Abdulla Al-Khan, MD, director of the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine and Surgery at Hackensack University Medical Center, discusses the diagnosis and delivery of the tri-state area’s first Zika-infected microcephaly baby.

Exactly how to screen for and, thus, diagnose Zika virus remains a bit of a moving target for clinicians as the risk for localized transmission of the mosquito-borne disease rises for some parts of the United States with the arrival of summer.

Abdulla Al-Khan, MD, director of the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine and Surgery at Hackensack University Medical Center, discusses the length of time during which a mother can pass on a Zika infection to her fetus with Contagion.

Researchers have found that Aedes aegypti mosquitoes infected with these bacteria were less likely to become infected with the Zika virus after feeding, and that those who did become infected were unable to transmit the virus in their saliva.

“We really won’t be able to protect the American people to the extent that we can, from the technology standpoint, without that funding.” states Stephen Redd, MD, director of the Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response (OPHPR) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Abdulla Al-Khan, MD, director of the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine and Surgery at Hackensack University Medical Center, explains whether or not someone can contract the Zika virus from an infected baby.

Abdulla Al-Khan, MD, director of the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine and Surgery at Hackensack University Medical Center, explains the threat of Zika, and when it is most harmful to a fetus.

When a health emergency erupts somewhere in the world, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) quickly sends its new Global Rapid Response Team (Global RRT).

Abdulla Al-Khan, MD, director of the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine and Surgery at Hackensack University Medical Center, describes the diagnosis of the tri-state area's first case of Zika-linked microcephaly in a newborn child.

On Thursday, June 23, 2016, House Republicans approved a bill which included a $1.1 billion fund to combat Zika. But, there’s one big drawback, according to Democrats.

A new case report about the death of a woman from rabies emphasizes the importance of rabies awareness and education among the public.

Justin R. Anderson, PhD, associate professor of biology at Radford University, describes his research on the effects of endocrine disrupting chemicals on mosquito-borne viruses.

On June 17, the CDC announced that 1% of all blood donations analyzed in the American territory had tested positive for Zika, and that this could be an indication that the outbreak is poised to reach dangerous proportions.

Administration of cholesterol-lowering statins to mice reduced the number of Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria in the rodents and helped to prevent the spread of Lyme disease, a new study has suggested.

A new study has suggested that Yersinia pestis—the causative agent of plague—likely entered Europe only once, and later spread to China where it has become the source of modern plague outbreaks.

With vaccine supplies at alarmingly low levels a potential public health emergency of global proportions may be on the horizon.

In a webinar presented on June 9 by The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Working Group on Lyme and Other Tick-borne Diseases, a panel of speakers discussed trends in tick-borne diseases (TBDs) in the United States.

A long-held belief regarding the way in which vaccinations work to protect hosts from pathogens may be inaccurate.

In an effort to contain the Zika virus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is holding a series of teleconferences regarding concerns that were raised during the Zap Zika conference held in early April. The fifth conference in the series discusses Zika epidemiology.

Recent studies on Zika have lead researchers to discover how the virus causes neurological complications, as well as ways in which the body can fight off the infection.

In an open letter copied to the International Olympic Committee, 150 health experts from around the world urged the WHO Director-General, Margaret Chan, MD, MPH, to either postpone or move both the Olympic and Paralympic Games, for the sake of public health.

Efforts to bring to market a vaccine for the fight against Zika virus, at least via the private sector, have been stalled over concerns regarding the “marketability” of these products, according to multiple reports in the business press.

Management of visceral leishmaniasis poses a daunting challenge, in part due to the side effects associated with the use of the traditional treatment. However, one vaccine development strategy has recently shown promising results.

For the first time, a recent study has captured African monkeys eating bats—a finding that raises concern about the spread of zoonotic diseases such as Ebola.

In an attempt to provide the best possible care for her unborn child, a Honduras woman with suspected Zika infection traveled to the United States where she then gave birth to a baby with microcephaly at Hackensack University Medical Center.