As Zika virus continues to spread in the Americas, the government and research organizations in Britain have all taken actions to tackle the potential health threat posed by the virus.

Zika is a mosquito-borne infection caused by Zika virus. The type of mosquito that transmits the virus is extremely unlikely to survive and breed in Britain given the lower temperatures.

Although it does not occur naturally in Britain, a total of six cases have been diagnosed in British travelers, according to the latest figures from the Public Health England. Most of these travelers have been to countries affected by the Zika outbreak.

As a precaution, British government has asked airlines to use insecticide on all flights returning to the UK from countries with confirmed transmission of Zika.

Disinsection involves spraying a simple insecticide inside the aircraft to reduce the risk of passengers being bitten by any mosquitoes that could have entered the aircraft.

The symptoms of Zika are similar to dengue, another mosquito-borne infection, which are often co-circulating in areas where Zika virus is present. The majority of people infected with Zika virus have no symptoms. For those with symptoms, Zika virus tends to cause a mild, short-lived febrile disease.

Serious complications and deaths from Zika are not common. But more and more evidence collected in Brazil has showed that the virus might be linked to babies being born with underdeveloped brains, also known as microcephaly. Brazil has seen a surging number of suspected cases of babies born with small brains, although only a small number of these cases have been confirmed.

While the link between Zika infection and microcephaly has not been scientifically proved and the risks at different stages of pregnancy are unknown, the World Health Organization has declared the microcephaly condition a global public health emergency.

Given the seriousness of Zika transmission, British government has decided to fast-track funding for research to tackle the virus.

The government has promised a further 1 million pound(1.44 million U.S. dollars) funding for Zika research. This is in addition to the previously announced one-billion-pound funding, which includes over 188 million pounds for the development of vaccines and diagnostic tests for diseases caused by viruses such as Zika.

"We need to be able to develop treatments and vaccines but first we need answers to vital questions about the nature of this virus -- such as if and how it is changing, how to control the spread of the disease, and how to both diagnose and prevent infection," said Professor John Savill, chief executive of the UK Medical Research Council.

Meanwhile, researchers from institutes and universities in Britain and other countries are working with their counterparts in the Americas through online platforms such as the Global Health Network. The network is an online forum to help clinical researchers with trial design, methods, interpretation of regulations, and general operations. The network has already established a website dedicated to the study of Zika virus.

"There needs to be international collaboration and sharing of research methods and skills to help these studies (of Zika) begin as quickly as possible," said Professor Trudie Lang from the University of Oxford, who leads the Global Health Network.

"Data collected by any one group should be taking the same measurements and making the same assessments, so that it can be pooled together with other results to give strong evidence and generate answers more quickly. This needs coordination and open access to research tools and documents,"said Lang.

Meanwhile, Oxitec, a British company that pioneers in using genetic engineering to control insect pests, are working closely with local governments in Brazil to control the number of the mosquitoes that spread the Zika virus. Since there's no drugs and vaccines for the virus for the time being, mosquito control might be a more effective way to curb the transmission of Zika.

"As the principal source for the fastest growing vector-borne infection in the world in Dengue Fever, as well as the increasingly challenging Zika virus, controlling the Aedes aegypti (a kind of mosquito) population provides the best defense against these serious diseases for which there are no cures," said Hadyn Parry, Oxitec CEO. Endit

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)