Montana lab to focus on Zika virus research

MISSOULA, Mont. – The Zika virus recently captured worldwide attention, but a Montana lab has been studying the virus since it began spreading in Brazil last November.

The Missoulian reports that Rocky Mountain Laboratories biochemist Sonja Best says the Hamilton lab is putting together a contingent of people to focus on Zika research. She says the lab has expertise in flaviviruses, a group that includes Zika as well as the West Nile Virus.

The lab is trying to determine whether vaccines against West Nile and dengue viruses might also work against Zika.

The World Health Organization declared Zika a public health emergency on Monday. Scientists suspect it may be linked to a rise in babies born with abnormally small heads, a condition known as microcephaly, in South and Central America.