NEW DELHI: India's’ top health research body — Indian Council for Medical Research — is set to start trials of the indigenously developed vaccine against Zika virus, cases of which have been reported in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat.
The ICMR will undertake a phase-II trial of the vaccine to establish its efficacy and safety along with its side effects, if any, said an official in the agency under the Union Ministry for Health and Family Welfare.
Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech has developed the vaccine, which they claim will provide protection against infection caused by the Asian as well as the African Zika virus strain, the official said.
“The company had developed the vaccine around two years ago. At that time, the Zika outbreak was only limited to Latin America and no cases were reported in India,” the official said.
“Zika virus affects people primarily through the bite of an infected Aedes species mosquito. An outbreak has been reported in some states. Vector control is a challenging job. Hence, treatment through a vaccine is the best way to deal with this outbreak,” the official said.
The process for regulatory approvals to carry out the trial will be initiated soon.