Odile Leroy, coordinator of the ZIKAVAX project and Executive Director of the European Vaccine Initiative, presented an overview of the currently developed vaccine candidates against Zika virus infection during the conference “Zika Virus and other Mosquito-borne Viruses, Science for Preparedness and Response in the Mediterranean Region”, which was held in Barcelona, 23-24 May 2017.
Following the global Zika epidemic and the increasing global health burden caused by other mosquito-borne viruses, and the endemicity of the potential vector Aedes albopictus, the Mediterranean region has been recently considered as of moderate-to-high risk of introduction for arboviruses. Strong public health management supported by translational research is fundamental for preparedness and response against this global threat.
The aim of this meeting, jointly organised by B-Debate and the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), was to generate a forum for an interdisciplinary and international debate bringing together experts from different backgrounds to discuss the critical issues related to public health, epidemiology, entomology, virology, clinical care and diagnostics for emerging vector-borne diseases.