Zika is a viral disease that causes flu-like symptoms, but the greatest danger is in babies born from infected mothers.
At UT Medical Center, researchers and participants in a new study are hoping to prevent it.
"I'm glad to get to help," study participant Holli Womack said.
Volunteers are making extra trips to the doctor's office to prevent a virus that has impacted people around the world.
"This gives me an opportunity to help people, not only in my backyard, but across the world," study participant Dylan Cobble said. "That's inspiring, that we can change this."
"We would very much like a product that would protect them from the risks of birth defects from Zika," Dr. William Smith said.
Smith is testing a vaccine to prevent the Zika virus.
The Zika virus caused a national scare for travelers in 2016. Now, doctors at UT Medical Center are working on human testing for vaccinations.
He welcomed Womack and Cobble for a checkup.
They want to make a difference because they feel connected to the virus.
"I have, actually, family members from Florida that know people affected by the Zika Virus," Womack said.
Two years ago, Cobble was preparing for a family vacation overseas.
"I was expecting my daughter and it was very scary because they were talking about all the birth defects with it," Cobble said.
The volunteers are injected with a protein that's similar to the virus, so doctors can study how their bodies react.
"People in the study will receive three injections and they will be followed over a period of eight months," Smith said.
So far, symptoms have been limited.
"We were concerned about fever and allergic reaction, so we really haven't seen any of those," Smith said. "Some of the subjects have complained about minor fatigue."
Now, doctors are a step closer to making a Zika vaccine.
"Since there is a real public health need, the FDA and the regulatory authorities in other countries fast track it," Smith said. "So this will take years, not decades."
If you want to sign up for this study or others, you can call 865-305-DRUG to get in touch with the medical center.
Smith said in the past, doctors have also done studies on Ebola and Anthrax.
© 2018 WBIR
from virus zika - Google News https://ift.tt/2JawWBy
EmoticonEmoticon