A BGU Scientist Weighs In on the Zika Virus
A BGU Scientist Weighs In on the Zika Virus
February 4, 2016
National Geographic – New information about the spread of the Zika virus seems to be popping up every day, little of it good. Most recently, a Dallas resident contracted the virus sexually, a method of transmission largely unstudied by scientists.
Nevertheless, Dr. Leslie Lobel, a celebrated virologist from BGU’s Shraga Segal Department of Microbiology and Immunology, urges caution but not panic.
Dr. Leslie Lobel
Dr. Lobel says he does not think sexual transmission of the virus happens easily, and that the case in Dallas is most likely an outlier.
“We don’t need to rethink what we do about Zika just because of that potential mode of transmission,” he says.
The Zika virus itself is still somewhat shrouded in mystery. To an infected person, the symptoms are usually mild, with 80 percent of victims showing no symptoms at all. However, the virus has been connected to debilitating brain disorders in newborns.
Researchers are now trying to figure out whether the virus became more dangerous as it migrated across the world, or if the dangers were always there and simply overlooked.
“The big question is, has the change actually led to a change in pathology?” asks Dr. Lobel. Genetic analysis, he says, should eventually reveal the answer.
Despite his and a majority of scientists’ belief that the virus is primarily mosquito-borne, Dr. Lobel still believes they cannot be too careful, and should immediately begin testing multiple bodily fluids to determine their levels of contagion.
“We can’t assume anything unless we’ve actually tested everything,” he says.
Read more on the National Geographic website >>
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