Powerful tools help scientists find a virus’s weak spot
Advances in imaging that can map a virus's atomic structure offer new hope in treating some of the trickiest diseases, such as the deadly Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic gripped the world, a deadly virus was already spreading across Asia, the Middle East, and parts of Europe. Known as a nairovirus, the microbial threat causes Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, a disease marked by fever, muscle aches, nausea, and bleeding under the skin. The virus kills as many as 40 percent of the people it infects.
Outbreaks are sporadic, and case numbers vary by region, but data suggest they are steadily increasing. In Afghanistan, there were just four confirmed cases in 2007; by 2018, the country reported 483 cases. And while the World Health Organization in 2018 identified Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever as one of its top priorities for research and development, there is still
