MOSCOW (Sputnik) — In late January, three travelers who returned to the United Kingdom from South and Central America were first Britons diagnosed with the Zika virus, On Tuesday, two adults were confirmed with the Zika virus in Ireland,
"Initially, up to £1 million [$1.46 million] from the government’s Global Challenges Research Fund will be made available through the UK Medical Research Council (UK MRC) to researchers applying for grants to investigate the nature of the virus, its transmission and the potential links to neurological conditions including microcephaly," the British government said in a statement on its website.
The government said that Zika must be fought from multiple fronts, and high-class scientists "have an important role to play," as they are able to learn more about the virus as soon as possible.
"…but it’s hugely important that we use our home-grown expertise to help tackle health problems of significant global impact," the statement said.
The recent Zika outbreak originated in Brazil and spread across Latin America. Currently, Zika cases have been registered in over 20 states across the globe, including in both Americas, the South Pacific and some European countries.
The Zika virus primarily affects monkeys and humans and is transmitted by daytime-active mosquitoes. A causal relationship between the Zika virus and neurological disorders including microcephaly, which causes babies to be born with small heads, is strongly suspected.
Earlier this week, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the Zika virus a global public health emergency.
