In a communique, UNESCO stated that Guzman, who is also a director of the Reference Center for Research and Diagnosis at Pedro Kouri Institute of Tropical Medicine, is one of the five winners by geographic regions in the 24th edition of the prize, jointly granted with French company L’Oreal.

According to the UN agency focused on education, science and culture, Guzman stands out for her pioneering work to improve the understanding of dengue fever, a disease present mainly in the inter-tropics, which infects between 50 and 100 million people worldwide each year.

Her research has led to a better understanding of the pathogenesis of dengue, treatment of its symptoms and its prevention, UN stated.

In addition to the Cuban scientist, other winners of the L’Oreal-UNESCO for Women in Science Award were US biochemist Katalin Kariko (North America), Chinese neuroscience expert Hailan Hu (Asia Pacific), Rwandan professor Agnes Binagwaho (Africa and Arab States) and Spanish embryology specialist Maria Angela Nieto (Europe).

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