Biosecurity

Scientists Learn to Detect Zika Virus Using Nuclear-Derived Technique

More than thirty doctors, epidemiologists, microbiologists and laboratory technicians from Latin America, the Caribbean and Africa learned how to use a nuclear-derived technique to detect the Zika virus during IAEA training courses this month. The Zika virus has spread to 34 countries and territories in the Americas and was declared an international public health emergency by the World Health Organization (WHO) in February.

“The quick turnaround and interpretation of results using this technology will be a huge help for our public health system,” said Nicole Christian, a microbiologist with the Department of Microbiology, University of the West Indies in Kingston, Jamaica. The early and fast detection of Zika, which is transmitted primarily by the Aedes aegyptimosquito, is key to managing outbreaks.