Zika Virus Vaccines

Zika virus (ZIKV) was declared WHO Public Health Emergency of International Concern in 2016 due to the new association of ZIKV infection with microcephaly and Guillain-Barre Syndrome. In response, the scientific community leveraged decades of research on flaviviruses to rapidly developed and evaluate vaccines against ZIKV. In this chapter, we review the history of ZIKV disease and epidemiology, virology, clinical disease, and humoral and cellular immunity. Additionally, we review different ZIKV vaccine platforms, the current status on vaccine development, and what is known about vaccine-induced protection. While vaccine development and evaluation efforts were not completed before the burden of ZIKV waned, ZIKV is poised to make a resurgence as herd immunity wanes in areas where the pandemic first hit or as the virus spreads into new regions. As such, ZIKV remains an important target for vaccine development.