Emerging Research on Zika Virus Vaccines and Treatments

Introduction:

Apart from the chikungunya infection, the Zika virus, which is a type of flavivirus transmitted by the mosquito, went viral in the South America region in 2015-2016. This led to a lot of worry owing to the link it had with major congenital malformations such as microcephaly and other neurological abnormalities. This article aims at discussing the current state of research with regard to Zika virus and vaccines and therapies under development for the virus.

Understanding Zika Virus

Transmission and Symptoms

The disease is mainly spread by the Aedes species of mosquitoes that are infected with the virus. Sexual contact, contaminated blood and its products, and from an infected mother to her fetus during pregnancy. The symptoms of the disease are usually flu-like with high fever, rash, joint pain, and conjunctivitis that may persist for a few days to one week. However, most patients who contracts this disease will not realize it because they will have no symptoms at all.

Complications

The main reason people worry about Zika virus infection is its connection to congenital Zika syndrome that results in a child’s microcephaly, brain damage, etc. Moreover, the pregnant women getting infected with Zika can develop Guillain-Barré syndrome which is a severe neurological disorder marked by paralysis.

Vaccine Development

Traditional Vaccine Approaches

Several traditional vaccine platforms are being explored for Zika virus.

1. Inactivated Virus Vaccines: These vaccines use killed versions of the virus to induce an immune response. Animal tests have been carried out with relative success in eliciting protective immunity without the occurrence of disease.

2. Live Attenuated Vaccines: These vaccines have a live virus which has been attenuated, as a way of provoking the human body’s immune response. It has been found to be useful in animal models, but studies have not provided sufficient evidence about its safety for pregnant women.

3. Protein Subunit Vaccines: These vaccines use viral proteins to trigger an immune response. While the current vaccination uses the whole virus as the active component, ongoing research aims to determine the best viral components to use in the vaccines.

Innovative Vaccine Strategies

Researchers are also exploring innovative approaches to Zika virus vaccination.

1. mRNA Vaccines:

2. DNA Vaccines:

3. Viral Vector Vaccines: Click here to know more point to point

Current Status of Zika Vaccines

Some of the vaccine candidates tested have reached clinical trial and some of them have had some measure of efficacy. The most advanced candidates include:

a. mRNA-1325 (Moderna):

b. ZPIV (Walter Reed Army Institute of Research):

c. TV003 (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases): Click here to know more point to point