Gary Kobinger, PhD, who helped develop a trial vaccine that was successful in fighting Ebola in Guinea, told Reuters the first stage of testing the Zika vaccine on humans may begin as soon as August. That may mean the vaccine could be available to use during a public health emergency in October or November.
The U.S. currently has two Zika vaccine candidates, but they may not begin clinical trials in people until the end of this year, meaning it would not be widely available for several more years.
“The first thing is to be ready for the worst,” Dr. Kobinger told Reuters. “This vaccine is easy to produce. It could be cranked to very high levels in a really short time.”
To learn more about the Zika virus, click here.
More articles on Zika:
Researchers call for more action from WHO on Zika threat
CDC issues interim guidance on Zika testing for infants
Search for better Zika diagnostics kicks into overdrive
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