From Valley Central
February 13, 2018
The search for a vaccination against the Zika virus continues in the Rio Grande Valley.
Doctors at the research institute at Doctor’s Hospital at Renaissance Health System continue to recruit for a clinical trial, which launched in October 2017.
“The ultimate goal of this study is to provide a Zika vaccine that is easy to administer,” said Dr. Robert Noonan, lead investigator of the trial.
As of today, 20 out of the required 50 participants have enrolled. But, Noonan says they have only accepted about half of the people screened.
“In the Valley, there is a high incidence of diabetes,” Noonan said. “Diabetes is one of the diseases which will exclude you from being a participant in the trial.”
The recent flu outbreak could impact recruitment.