Zika Virus Outbreak in US is alarming the health departments and also the government. Unfortunately, Zika vaccines are not enough for everyone who wants to avoid getting infected with the virus.
Adult brains can be affected by zika virus, too.
The U.S. health department said that it might be late for manufacturing Zika vaccines and the funds for making more vaccines are inadequate, it will make sure that it will not give up in making sure Americans are safe.
"We did not wait for legislation because the threat was too great. We redirected hundreds of millions of dollars from other vital priorities to fund vector control activities and vaccine and diagnostic research and development," said Sylvia Matthews Burwell, secretary of Health and Human Services, in a report from CNN.
Zika Vaccines Are Badly Needed
The vaccines can be produced within two years even if there are outbreaks in other places in US. "It scares people. Europeans and Americans can pay a pretty high price for these kinds of vaccines," said Scott Weaver, the chairman of Zika task force for Global Virus Network and virologist at University of Texas.
Even Dr. Tom Frieden, director of Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reiterated that funding of Zika vaccines are needed. With the release of $1.1 billion for developing vaccines, it will help on conducting the studies on how the virus can affect the babies, according to LA Times.
The funds came from malaria, tuberculosis and Ebola virus studies. If the funding happened earlier, Zika patients would have been decreased.
Drugmakers Are Helping To Create Zika Vaccines
Giant drug companies such as Sanofi SA (SASY.PA), GlaxoSmithKline Plc (GSK.L), and Takeda Pharmaceuticals (450.2T) are working double time in order to create the vaccines against the Zika Virus.
Disease specialists and drug makers are also positive that girls in puberty can be given the vaccines to prevent birth defects and also to boys to prevent in transmitting the disease with their future partners, according to Reuters.
"Hopefully a vaccine can be developed that's sold for a low cost in endemic areas," Weaver said.
