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OHSU awarded a $12.6 million grant to study West Nile
Wednesday, October 12, 2005 | No comments posted.
PORTLAND (AP) - Oregon Health & Science University has received a $12.6 million federal grant to study ways to protect against the West Nile virus and related diseases.
The disease is transmitted from animals to humans by mosquitoes. Only about 20 percent of those who are infected may show symptoms, and fewer than 1 percent will become seriously ill, researchers say.
But serious cases can be life-threatening, with symptoms that include high fever, coma, tremors and paralysis. In some cases, the disease can cause permanent neurological damage and death.
”What's particularly concerning about this disease is the fact that serious illness is much more common in those older than 50,“ said Janko Nikolich-Zugich, senior scientist at OHSU's Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute. ”We have little understanding as to why this is the case.“
He said research on West Nile likely will help in the battle against related viruses such as dengue fever virus, Japanese encephalitis virus and yellow fever virus.
The grant is funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, part of the National Institutes of Health.
The disease is transmitted from animals to humans by mosquitoes. Only about 20 percent of those who are infected may show symptoms, and fewer than 1 percent will become seriously ill, researchers say.
But serious cases can be life-threatening, with symptoms that include high fever, coma, tremors and paralysis. In some cases, the disease can cause permanent neurological damage and death.
”What's particularly concerning about this disease is the fact that serious illness is much more common in those older than 50,“ said Janko Nikolich-Zugich, senior scientist at OHSU's Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute. ”We have little understanding as to why this is the case.“
He said research on West Nile likely will help in the battle against related viruses such as dengue fever virus, Japanese encephalitis virus and yellow fever virus.
The grant is funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, part of the National Institutes of Health.
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