22May 2026 by Leticia Murase No Comments

Monitoring zoonotic viruses in the Amazon: The ViVErA Project

UFMA
Monitoring zoonotic viruses in the Amazon: The ViVErA Project Hiran Satiro, Felipe Murta, Leticia Murase Hiran Satiro collects biospecimens from local children. Photograph shared with permission. In the Amazon, close interactions between people, wildlife, and the environment are part of daily life. These connections sustain local communities but also create opportunities for viruses to circulate between humans, animals, and ecosystems.Monitoring infectious diseases in this region is particularly challenging. Many communities are located far from urban centers, where access to healthcare services and diagnostic resources is limited. At the same time, regular movement between Indigenous communities and nearby towns creates additional pathways for pathogens to spread.In this context, strengthening disease surveillance becomes essential. The ViVErA Project, short for Vigilância de Vírus Emergentes na Amazônia (Surveillance of Emerging Viruses in the Amazon),…
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19Sep 2025 by Leticia Murase No Comments

UFMA-GEMINI Partnership: Ten Years of Sharing Knowledge

Partners, UFMA
Written by Marcos Campos, Érika Thomaz. Review: Letícia Murase. In mid-2015, one of GEMINI’s most enduring collaborations began: a partnership with the Federal University of Maranhão (UFMA, in Portuguese abbreviation). Maranhão, in Brazil’s Northeast, is home to unique natural landscapes and spans an area roughly the size of Italy. Yet the state faces some of the country’s lowest social and health indicators. In this tropical region, where ecosystems range from the Amazon rainforest to Brazil’s semi-arid zones, health needs are diverse. A high burden of infectious and neglected tropical diseases coexists with elevated mortality from noncommunicable conditions and violence, alongside health challenges specific to traditional communities (Indigenous, riverine, and quilombola populations).Against this backdrop, GEMINI’s co-director, Dr. João Vissoci, began collaborating with UFMA professor Dr. Erika Thomaz. Together with Dr. Thiago…
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