UTRGV awarded $500K to help CDC research Zika virus

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is awarding nearly $40 million to four consortiums to create research centers that will help address Zika in the United States.

One of those Centers of Excellence will be the Western Gulf Center, which will include the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.

Brownsville was listed as a Zika cautionary area on the CDC's website after six residents acquired the virus locally.

UTRGV will receive more than $500,000 over the five year period to further surveillance efforts with local public health and vector-control agencies, according to a press release.

Christopher Vitek, associate professor of biology, and John Thomas, assistant professor of biology, will be involved in the surveillance activities proposed in the grant.

UTRGV will also be developing a vector biology training certificate program for graduate students.

Vitek will serve as UTRGV'S site principal investigator.

"The overall goal is to improve the potential speed for responding to any outbreaks of these, or related, diseases," Vitek said in a press release. "We hope to increase collaborative research efforts between the participating universities and agencies."

fgarza@brownsvilleherald.com