Possible Zika Vaccine Still More Than a Year Away, Says World Health Organization

The World Health Organization says a possible Zika vaccine is still more than a year away from large-scale trials.

The U.N. health agency says 15 companies or groups are hunting for a vaccine, but broad trials are at least 18 months away.

Officials say there is more evidence to suggest a link between the mosquito-borne virus and a birth defect that causes abnormally small heads, but it could take weeks or even a few months to prove a link exists.

Meanwhile, Brazil struck a partnership with the University of Texas Medical Branch to get a Zika vaccine ready for clinical testing within a year.

The country is investing nearly $2 million for the research, and is also partnering with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC says the Zika virus is active in at least 26 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.