Zika vaccine may not be available until 2020

In a little over 1 year since the Zika virus outbreak began making headlines, a number of drug companies and research institutes have stepped forward to develop dozens of vaccine candidates against the primarily mosquito-borne virus. But it may still be a few years before the first Zika vaccine is available, WHO Director General Margaret Chan said. In comments marking the 1-year anniversary of WHO declaring the Zika outbreak in the Americas a Public Health Emergency of International Concern — a declaration that has since been lifted — Chan remarked recently on the nearly 40 candidate vaccines currently in the pipeline but said “a vaccine judged safe enough for use in women of childbearing age may not be fully licensed before 2020.” WHO spokeswoman Monika Gehner told Infectious Disease News that Chan’s comments are in line with WHO’s official estimate of when a safe and effective vaccine may be ready for women...