Brazilian scientists are joining forces with U.S. colleagues at the University of Texas to develop a vaccine against Zika as part of a government push to stop a growing epidemic of the virus that threatens to infect millions across Latin America.
It could take one year to develop and two more years to test the vaccine, Brazil’s Health Minister Marcelo Castro told reporters in Brasilia. The government will fund research by scientists in Brazil and at the University of Texas Medical Branch with $1.9 million over five years, the health ministry said in a statement.
“We know it takes time, but there’s great optimism that we’ll develop a vaccine more quickly than expected,” Castro said.
Brazilian authorities are growing increasingly concerned about Zika, as outbreaks of the virus spread throughout the country and beyond its borders to other Latin American nations. The mosquito-borne disease is linked to microcephaly, a condition that causes babies to be born with abnormally small heads and potential developmental problems.
The government will work with other international researchers on technologies to control the spread of the virus, including the use of genetically-modified mosquitoes, he added.
There are currently 4,783 suspected and 404 confirmed cases of microcephaly in Brazil, according to health ministry data.
The Brazilian government is urging people to clean out areas with water where the insects can breed and to double up on bug repellent.
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