Daniel Rios Doria

Working Project: Modeling the transmission of Rubella in Peru

Brief description: Rubella is a relatively mild illness that produces fever and rash. The public health importance of Rubella relates to the teratogenic effects when rubella infection is acquired in the early months of pregnancy. In this instance, rubella virus can be extremely dangerous to the developing fetus. Congenital Rubella Syndrome (CRS) includes birth defects such as deafness, cataracts, heart defects, microcephaly, mental retardation, bone alterations, and liver and spleen damage. My current research is to understand the dynamics of the spread of rubella throughout the three geographic regions in Peru. Peru has recently started a mass vaccination campaign against CRS within the past 5 years. It is the hope to reassure the Peruvian populace that the goal of eradicating Rubella & CRS by 2010 can, in fact, be reached.