A Zika virus vaccine could be ready for emergency use this year

Thousands of children with severe birth defects have been linked to the Zika virus, a vaccine before the end of the year could be ready for emergency use, one of the lead developers on Thursday, well Estimates by the US officials said a timetable.

Canadian scientist Gary Kobinger, part of a consortium working on the vaccine, the first stage of human testing can begin as early as August, told Reuters in an interview. If successful, the vaccine in October or November, to be used during a public health emergency could allow.

"The first thing is to be ready for more," was successful in the fight against Ebola in Guinea, a trial Kobinger ,, who helped develop the vaccine. "It is easy to produce vaccines. This very high level in a very short time can be cranked up." It could be widely available as they did not say.

US Zika two potential candidates for the vaccine by the end of this year, clinical trials in people could begin, but for many years the vaccine will not be available on a large scale, US officials said Thursday.

Mosquitoes transmit the virus in Brazil, thousands of children have been linked to brain damage. The Zika, mild fever and rash, which causes dengue and chikungunya, a close cousin, has no proven vaccine or cure. An estimated 80 percent of people infected pregnant women who were infected is difficult to know basis, have no symptoms.

In Geneva, the World Health Organization (WHO), the Zika "explosively" is spreading in the United States and as many as four million people could be affected on Thursday.

Kobinger, Canada's National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg Laval University in Quebec City and special pathogens at the head of the project lead scientist, scientist David Weiner, Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc and South Korea's GeneOne led by Life Sciences Inc, Pennsylvania is working with the University.

Joseph Kim, Inovio's chief executive, by the end of this year to make a vaccine aggressive timeline, but it is possible.

"I human testing will be the first to go in. We Zika a vaccine ahead of the pack in the race for sure," he said in an interview.

Inovio shares closed at $ 5.78 on Nasdaq on Thursday, jumped 7.6 percent.

Other vaccine candidates are moving more slowly appear to be.

Sao Paulo-based director of the Butantan Institute, it is still likely to take three to five years, although last week warned, "in record time" has planned to develop a vaccine.

Kobinger vaccine candidates to trigger the body's immune system, is working mimics the virus, he said.

"The real thing comes, then there are antibodies, the immune system is ready to attack immediately, primed is," Kobinger said.