Given the fast-spreading global impact of the mosquito-borne Zika virus, a research group plans to launch a study in Latin America to determine the long-term effects of the disease.

RTI International  will fund the 4-studies which will be conducted in Latin America among women planning to become pregnant.

“World leaders are struggling with how to deal with the Zika virus in large part because there is so much we still don’t know about its health effects and transmission,” said Wayne Holden, Ph.D., RTI International president and chief executive officer. “It’s critical that we find out those answers so that policies and practices can be put in place to address the virus. RTI has the talent, expertise and global experience that puts us in a prime position to help with this crisis, and we’re compelled to fund such an important effort.”

The first pilot study will be on women in Guatemala and will last two years.

“With this study, we hope to be able to identify the trimester in which Zika infection has the greatest risk to a fetus as well as other outcomes among infants and young children that may not be immediately apparent at birth,” said Pia MacDonald, Ph.D., senior director of RTI’s Center for Applied Public Health Research and the project’s principal investigator.

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