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4.6 mln USD fast-tracked in UK to tackle global Zika threat

Xinhua, March 22, 2016 Adjust font size:

Britain's Medical Research Council said Monday that funding worth 4.6 million U.S. dollars for 26 high-quality research projects has been fast-tracked to speed up the fight to tackle the global threat posed by the Zika virus.

The MRC, the Newton Fund and the Wellcome Trust have now joined forces following the launch by the MRC in February of the Zika Rapid Response Initiative.

The initiative received a total of 103 proposals, with funding awarded to 26 projects.

Several agencies contributed to the fund, such as the British government's Global Challenges Research Fund, the Wellcome Trust, the Newton Fund, and the Sao Paulo Research Foundation FAPESP.

An MRC spokesman said: "The successful projects were deemed able to provide novel, critical and timely insights into the nature of the virus and/or potential avenues for its management or prevention."

Since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared microcephaly cases and other neurological disorders a health emergency on Feb. 1, substantial new clinical and epidemiological research has strengthened the association between Zika infection and the occurrence of fetal malformations and neurological disorders.

In addition, the geographical distribution of the disease is now wider. There are currently 52 countries which have reported local transmission of the Zika virus.

Successful applicants have been encouraged to work in conjunction with colleagues in affected countries, with successful funding going towards a wide range of projects across several countries including Brazil, Columbia, Ecuador, Cape Verde, Kenya and Uganda.

Sir John Savill, MRC chief executive, said: "Two very important elements needed to come together in order to respond to the global health threat from the Zika virus -- agility and capacity. Working in partnership is vital if we are to successfully tackle the health risks posed by emerging infections such as the Zika virus." Endit