Search


	Podcast:		UC Science Today
	Episode:		Shedding light on the Zika virus and its spread
	Category:		Science & Medicine
	Duration:		00:01:03
	Publish Date:		2016-03-22 00:00:00
	Description:		In the midst of an outbreak, where do scientists even begin to study the Zika virus? As part of a NASA-funded study, epidemiologist Chris Barker of the University of California, Davis is working to shed some light on patterns of Zika spread and its vector, the Aedes aegypti mosquito. By using models for other mosquito-borne diseases like Dengue, Barker is able to predict how Zika might spread in the United States, if at all. "The NASA project is right at that interface between real-world field-collected data and models. So what we’re trying to do is actually put viruses, Zika virus in particular, in mosquitoes. Look at how long they take to transmit it at different temperatures and how well our California mosquitoes and different species would transmit it." For years, Dengue has caused millions of infections outside of the U.S. and like Zika, people who are infected may not show symptoms. "So I think there will be a lot of research forthcoming. Because Zika wasn’t on anyone’s radar until recently, no one’s really done that work."
	Total Play:		0