MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The European Commission allocated 10 million euros ($11.1 million) on Tuesday to support research into the Zika virus, the body said in a statement.
The money, taken from the Horizon 2020 EU research and innovation funding program, will be spent to prove the link between Zika and severe brain defects, including cases of microcephaly, in newborns. Should the link be proven, the rest of the funding will be allocated for combating the virus, namely developing diagnostics, treatments or vaccines.
"A number of EU citizens have returned from the affected areas with the Zika virus. The Commission is carefully monitoring the situation and, as the summer approaches, is working closely together with the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, the WHO and Member States to put in place all necessary measures to ensure that the response to the virus is coherent and well-coordinated," Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Vytenis Andriukaitis was quoted as saying in the statement.
The current Zika outbreak started in Brazil in the spring of 2015. It has since spread across Latin America, with cases having been reported in several European countries and the United States.
