BioNews Texas July 23, 2014
The first case of chikungunya virus in Dallas County was confirmed on Tuesday by the Dallas County Health and Human Services. The Global Virus Network created a GVN Chikungunya Task Force in April, pooling the expertise of top virologists from around the world. It is composed of 16 virologists representing nine countries and led by UTMB’s Scott Weaver. All of the participating members are affiliated with GVN Centers of Excellence and the group is working on creating faster ways of identifying infections, improving treatment options and developing an effective vaccine. UTMB has been monitoring the spread of chikungunya virus for some time alerted that the “viral emergence” involves a wide variety of factors, including environmental changes, either generated by natural causes or human activity, but also accidental changes or mutations in the virus’s genetic code.