Close X
Thursday, November 28, 2024
ADVT 
Health

Research begins into possibility of a vaccine for Zika virus

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 27 Jan, 2016 12:21 PM
    WASHINGTON — The U.S. government is beginning research into a possible vaccine for the mosquito-borne Zika virus that is suspected of causing an unusual birth defect as it spreads in Latin America.
     
    Don't expect protection anytime soon — vaccine development typically takes years.
     
    "This is not going to be overnight," Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institutes of Health said in an interview Tuesday.
     
    But there are vaccines in various stages of development for other viruses in the same family — dengue, West Nile and chikungunya — that offer a pattern for creating something similar against Zika, said Fauci, who directs NIH's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
     
    NIH researchers have begun some initial work, and the agency also plans to boost funding to some Brazilian scientists to accelerate Zika-related research, he said.
     
    President Barack Obama met Tuesday with his senior health advisers, including Fauci, Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell and Centers for Disease Control Director Thomas Frieden. The White House said Obama urged them to accelerate research into diagnostic tests, vaccines and therapeutic drugs, and work to inform Americans about the Zika virus and ways to protect against infection.
     
    The Zika virus, first discovered decades ago in Africa, was long thought to be more of a nuisance illness, with symptoms generally much milder than its cousin dengue. But amid a large Zika outbreak in Brazil, researchers began reporting an increase in a rare birth defect named microcephaly — babies born with abnormally small heads. While scientists try to prove if Zika is the cause, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has advised pregnant women to reconsider travel to Brazil and 21 other countries and territories with outbreaks.
     
    If a Zika vaccine eventually were developed, it's not clear how widely it would be used.

    MORE Health ARTICLES

    Brain Freeze: Can Putting Faith In Cryonics Deliver Life After Death?

    Brain Freeze: Can Putting Faith In Cryonics Deliver Life After Death?
    When it comes to death, there's traditionally been two forms of eternal rest: going into a coffin or ending up as ashes inside an urn.

    Brain Freeze: Can Putting Faith In Cryonics Deliver Life After Death?

    Indo-Canadian Researcher Shows Diabetes Risk For Indians And Other South Asians Begins At Birth

    Indo-Canadian Researcher Shows Diabetes Risk For Indians And Other South Asians Begins At Birth
    For Indians and other South Asians, the risks of developing Type-2 diabetes begin immediately at birth, warns a study by Indian-origin researchers.

    Indo-Canadian Researcher Shows Diabetes Risk For Indians And Other South Asians Begins At Birth

    Guidelines Aimed At Preventing Falls, Fractures In Long-Term Care Residents

    Guidelines Aimed At Preventing Falls, Fractures In Long-Term Care Residents
    If there's one thing Devora Greenspon wants to avoid, it's taking a tumble that could fracture one of her brittle bones, especially a hip.

    Guidelines Aimed At Preventing Falls, Fractures In Long-Term Care Residents

    Junk Food May Shrink Your Brain: Study

    Junk Food May Shrink Your Brain: Study
    Although the study was conducted in adults over 60 years of age, the researchers believe that the findings are relevant for people of all ages, including children.

    Junk Food May Shrink Your Brain: Study

    Believe It! We Are Wired For Laziness Tells SFU Team

    Believe It! We Are Wired For Laziness Tells SFU Team
    A team from Simon Fraser University in Canada found that our nervous systems are remarkably adept in changing the way we move so as to expend the least amount of energy possible.

    Believe It! We Are Wired For Laziness Tells SFU Team

    Surgery Rate To Fix Vaginal Mesh Problems Low, Says Study, Despite Many Lawsuits

    Surgery Rate To Fix Vaginal Mesh Problems Low, Says Study, Despite Many Lawsuits
    Our study shows that, after 10 years of followup, one in 30 Ontario women required mesh revision or removal surgery

    Surgery Rate To Fix Vaginal Mesh Problems Low, Says Study, Despite Many Lawsuits