Brazil says expects to develop Zika virus vaccine in a year

Brazil expects to develop a vaccine for the Zika virus in about a year, Health Minister Marcelo Castro and Pedro Vasconcelos, a doctor at the Evandro Chagas Institute of Infectious diseases, told a press conference on Thursday.

They announced a partnership with the University of Texas and Brazil pledged $1.9 million to the effort over the next five years. Castro said the vaccine could be developed in a year or so, more quickly than originally expected, though that did not mean it would be ready at that time for widespread application.

Brazil, worst hit in an outbreak of Zika that is rapidly spreading in the Americas, is investigating a potential link between Zika infections and more than 4,000 suspected cases of microcephaly, a condition marked by abnormally small head size that can result in developmental problems. However, scientists have not proven that Zika can cause microcephaly. 

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