(NBC NEWSCHANNEL) The first human clinical trial for a Zika vaccine has begun.
The first volunteers received the experimental injection on Tuesday.
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases has been developing the vaccine which works much like a vaccine meant for West Nile, a similar mosquito-borne virus.
This first phase will include 80 people and will investigate the vaccine's safety and how well it's predicted to work.
Meanwhile, South Florida is now reporting 15 cases of local Zika transmission. All apparently came from infected mosquitoes.
Dr. Anthony Fauci , The director of the NIAID, spoke about how difficult it is to control the mosquitoes that transmit Zika. "They are so resilient in being able to breed in the most stringent conditions. We say clean up water in pots, pans, tires and little pools or what have you, but these mosquitoes can breed in the smallest amount of water - even the amount of water on a bottle cap."
If early data are promising, the vaccine could go into a phase 2 trial next year.
MAP: Tracking Zika cases in Florida | Special Section: Zika in Florida
