Zika virus: link with two disorders expected to be confirmed within weeks
- Feb 16, 2016
- 1 min read
Vaccines at least 18 months off, WHO says, as scientists work to determine if virus causes microcephaly and Guillain-Barré.
The World Health Organisation expects the suspected link between the Zika virus and two neurological disorders, microcephaly in babies and Guillain-Barré syndrome in adults, to be established within weeks, a senior official has said.
Marie-Paule Kieny, the WHO’s assistant director general, told a news briefing on Friday: “We have a few more weeks to be sure to demonstrate causality, but the link between Zika and Guillain-Barré is highly probable.”
She said it would take at least 18 months to start clinical trials of potential vaccines on humans, adding: “Two vaccine candidates seem to be more advanced: a DNA vaccine from the US National Institutes of Health; and an inactivated product from Bharat Biotech, in India.”
Kieny said 15 companies or groups have been identified as possible participants in the search for inoculations, but different types of possible vaccines – such as using live or deactivated virus, or DNA vaccines – may lead to differences in the timing on their development.
To find this article in its original form, please click on the following link:
Comments