Mexican Scientist Advances Mosquito-borne Disease Vaccines

The British Embassy in Mexico City recently announced Dr. Reyes Sandoval explained, "Zika, Dengue, and Chikungunya have a disproportionate impact on the most vulnerable people who often live in the most precarious environments."

"These are places where rubbish and water accumulate, creating the perfect combination for mosquitoes to breed and spread disease."

Thanks to the U.K.'s Newton Fund for science and innovation, Dr. Sandoval received two different grants to further investigations on mosquito-borne infectious diseases. 

In the case of Chikungunya, people suffering from the disease may develop rheumatoid arthritis, which significantly impairs their mobility.

A severe form of Dengue can cause extreme bleeding, sudden blood pressure drops, and even death.

And Zika, on the other hand, has a predilection for infecting cells of the nervous system, causing microcephaly in newborns.

Dr. Sandoval also described in an embassy statement on December 7, 2022, how the Newton Fund strengthened scientific partnerships between the U.K. and Mexico.

"This work created a strong link between the University of Oxford and universities in Michoacán, Veracruz, and Puebla."

"These are universities at the forefront of mosquito-borne disease research in Mexico, and we were able to contribute to three Oxford-Mexico collaborative laboratories to study human infectious diseases."

The British Embassy in Mexico City maintains and develops relations between the U.K. and Mexico.

As of December 10, 2022, the U.S. FDA has not approved a Zika vaccine.