US officials have ruled out a vaccine to protect against Zika in the next few years as concerns continue to mount about the spread of the virus. The World Health Organisation (WHO) announced on Thursday that Zika was "spreading explosively" throughout the Americas and "the level of alarm is extremely high". The WHO has set up an International Health Regulations Emergency Committee to examine Zika and will meet on Monday to decide whether it constitutes a global emergency. The last time a global emergency was declared was for the Ebola virus. Zika, which has spread to 23 countries, has been linked to thousands of babies being born with underdeveloped brains in Brazil. Colombia has also seen a rise in the number of patients diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder which can cause paralysis. The US has said it has two potential candidates for a vaccine for the Zika virus. While clinical trials may be able to begin before the end of this year, there will not be a widely available vaccine for several years. Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said one of the vaccines was based on work done on the West Nile virus. He told a news...
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