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The Zika virus is continuing its spread and with no end in sight, scientists have been working tirelessly to develop a vaccine that can stem the tide. Federal researchers believe that they are closing in on a breakthrough and have announced the all important next step: testing on human subjects.

The trial will let scientists and researchers know whether the vaccine is safe for usage on humans and the effect that it has on immune system response will also be measured. Should these results come back positive, Zika affected communities are slated to receive the vaccine in early 2017.

Zika currently has no known cure or even an effective treatment plan. Researchers are drawing on dengue and West Nile virus research to create the vaccine, as scientists band together to learn more about the cause of the virus and how to eradicate it.

NIH researchers are currently testing an experimental vaccine, one that will be injected into participants’ arms and produce the proteins that are associated with the Zika virus. The desired objective? For the body to create a response from the immune system that would protect them from a future outbreak of the virus.

The development of new vaccines is a difficult process that typically costs several hundred million dollars, which is why pharmaceutical companies have been scaling back their recent research efforts and have focused more of their energy on improving existing vaccines.

When an epidemic of this nature is in danger of taking place, the government will typically step in. When vaccines for newer diseases are not being developed, the government steps forward to provide the necessary funding so that a cure can be found. Otherwise, diseases of this nature continue to spread and become more commonplace.