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US university inks alliance to fight disease in Costa Rica

Monday, March 27, 2017


George Mason University of the US and the government of Costa Rica have formalized a partnership to share information and resources to study mosquito-borne illnesses, including Zika.

Costa Rica president Luis Guillermo Solís Rivera and Mason president Ángel Cabrera signed the agreement, which has been two years in the making, said Peggy Agouris, dean of Mason’s College of Science.

The agreement “is proof that exciting things can happen when visionary scientists connect,” Agouris said.

Costa Rica became interested in a partnership when the Costa Rican ambassador, Román Macaya Hayes, became aware of research already underway at the Mason-based National Center for Biodefense and Infectious Diseases. Discussions began in 2015, Agouris said, followed by an exchange of visits to the center by Costa Rican officials and trips to Costa Rica by Mason scientists.

Source: Inside NOVA