VACCINE TO TREAT ZIKA VIRUS AT LEAST 18 MONTHS AWAY

GENEVA Possible Zika vaccines are at least 18 months away from large-scale trials, the World Health Organization said Friday.

Marie- Paule Kieny, WHO’s assistant director- general for health systems and innovation, said 15 companies or groups have been identified as possible participants in the hunt for vaccines.

“(But) our knowledge of what is currently in the pipeline tells us that it will take approximately 18 months before a vaccine can be launched into large-scale trial to demonstrate efficacy,” Kieny said.

Concerns have grown about a Zika outbreak that has affected at least 33 countries. In Brazil, the epicentre of the outbreak, the spike in cases has coincided with a mysterious rise in cases of microcephaly, or abnormally small heads, in newborns.