Zika vaccine to be developed by Manchester scientists

Health experts are working on a vaccine against the Zika virus

Scientists in Manchester are to develop a vaccine against the Zika virus which is suspected of causing babies to be born with under-developed brains.

The World Health Organization declared the infection a global public health emergency last month after an outbreak in the Americas.

University of Manchester said it hoped to deliver results within 18 months after being awarded £178,000 funding.

Scientists in other countries are also working on possible Zika vaccines.

Tropical disease

Manchester researchers hope to "test a vaccine based on a safe derivative of a pre-existing smallpox vaccine - the only disease to have been successfully globally eradicated," a university spokesman said.

Dr Tom Blanchard, who is leading the project, said: "As we have seen in the case of Ebola, there is now a real need to react quickly to fast-spreading tropical diseases."

He said Zika can cause serious illness, but "it often has no visible symptoms, so a vaccine for those at risk is one of the most effective ways of combating it."

The grant was announced after the UK government said it would increase its funding for rapid research into countering the virus from £1m to £3m - alongside a £1m commitment from the health charity Wellcome Trust.