A synthetic DNA-based vaccine showed 100% effectiveness against zika infection, brain damage and death in animals.
Our findings support the critical importance of immune responses both to prevent infection and to cure the disease caused by the virus,”
said David Weiner, from the Vaccine Center of Wistar Institute in Philadelphia, United States.
According to Weiner,
as the zika threat continues, these results provide information on a new aspect of the possibly protective capacity of a vaccine such as this as a preventive method against the infection.”
The vaccine is being tested in two clinical trials with humans, since the therapies that seem promising in animals often do not work in humans.
The zika virus produces a relatively mild infection in adults, and only one out of 5 people show any symptoms. The greatest threat to health posed by zika is for the fetus, since it may be born with Microcephaly.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 2,000 children are born with microcephaly or birth defects in the central nervous system in Brazil.
So far, there are no licensed vaccines or treatments for zika.