Francesca Falconi

I am a PhD student at the Virology Unit at the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp, working on the understanding of the antibody responses against arboviruses with the aim to identify better seromarkers for diagnostics purposes. During my visits to the field in Yurimaguas and Iquitos in the Peruvian Amazon, I gained a greater commitment and passion for my project. I have seen the shortcomings regarding access to better treatments, diagnostic and control methods that people face in endemic areas. Hence, there is a necessity to translate the research to stringent conditions found in low socioeconomic environments, where most affected people live. Besides, since arborviral diseases represent an emerging worldwide health problem, there is a need to determine sources or activities which could contribute the the spread of this viruses from the jungle to urban areas. This is the main goal of this project.

May 2019