The Lancet Infectious Diseases: Vaccine against Zika virus must remain a priority
Editorial Board

“…[The] announcement [of Sanofi Pasteur’s decision to withdraw from Zika vaccine R&D] raises concerns about the future of Zika virus vaccine development, at a time when the number of cases is falling and other questions about the virus remain unanswered. … The WHO Zika Strategic Response Plan, published in June 2016 and due to run until December this year, outlines research priorities. However, illustrating the lower priority that Zika virus is now receiving, the last ‘quarterly’ update of the plan was published a year ago. Now is the time to take a long-term view of Zika research … Zika epidemics will likely reoccur as new vulnerable populations are exposed to the virus. We would best be prepared for this situation by having available vaccines that can quickly be rolled out to the people who need protection” (October 2017).