Consortium launched to fight Zika virus and build Latin American response capacity

Umeå University is among the 25 leading research and public health organizations from Latin America, North America, Africa, Asia, and Europe gathered in Recife, Brazil, for the launch of ZikaPLAN (Zika Preparedness Latin American Network). The global initiative, created in response to a Horizon 2020 funding call by the European Commission’s Directorate-General Research and Innovation, will address the Zika virus outbreak and the many research and public health challenges it poses. ZikaPLAN takes a comprehensive approach by: addressing the knowledge gaps and needs in the current Zika outbreak to better understand the disease, prevent its spread and educate the affected populations; building a sustainable response capacity in Latin America for Zika and other emerging infectious diseases (EID). “We are greatly honoured to host and coordinate this important global network of researchers around the world, but particularly in Latin America. This is part of a crucial collective and ongoing response to Zika, and other emerging...