{"id":67230,"date":"2016-02-03T15:33:59","date_gmt":"2016-02-03T15:33:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/?guid=442d7d61759f8ca45ff7c96cb76b0cdb"},"modified":"2016-02-03T15:33:59","modified_gmt":"2016-02-03T15:33:59","slug":"press-release-government-to-fast-track-funding-for-research-into-zika","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/?p=67230","title":{"rendered":"Press release: Government to fast track funding for research into Zika"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Initially, up to \u00a31 million from the government\u2019s Global Challenges Research Fund will be made available through the UK Medical Research Council<\/a> (UK MRC<\/abbr>) to researchers applying for grants to investigate the nature of the virus, its transmission and the potential links to neurological conditions including microcephaly. <\/p>\n

Universities and Science Minister, Jo Johnson, said:<\/p>\n

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The spread of the Zika virus to a growing number of countries in Central and South America has now been recognised as a global emergency by the World Health Organization<\/a> WHO<\/abbr>. Zika needs to be fought on a number of fronts, and the UK\u2019s world-class scientists have an important role to play. Thanks to the government\u2019s decision to protect the science budget and establish a new Global Challenges Research Fund, UK scientists can immediately start tackling this problem.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Professor Sir John Savill, the MRC<\/abbr>\u2019s chief executive said: <\/p>\n

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It\u2019s critical that we find out more about the Zika virus as soon as possible, so we are allocating funding to help researchers answer some of the most pressing questions about the disease. 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.<\/p>\n

The UK has a wealth of excellent scientists working in virus research and in the fields of genetics, immunology, epidemiology and mosquito vectors.<\/p>\n

Zika is unlikely to be a serious public health problem in the UK, because the virus is spread by tropical mosquitos, but it\u2019s hugely important that we use our home-grown expertise to help tackle health problems of significant global impact.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Possible avenues of research to be funded by this initiative could include:<\/p>\n