China's ongoing research on the Zika virus has started to bear fruit.

According to the China Daily, Chinese scientists have broken down the structure of the Zika virus NS1 protein.

With this ground breaking discovery, researchers could eventually develop a vaccine for the fearsome virus which is being spread by the Aedes aegypti mosquito.

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Shi Yi, an associate research fellow from the Institute of Microbiology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, explained that the protein, which is also found in other viruses of the flavivirus genus, has two main functions.

"First, it can help eliminate the virus from human body. Second, it can be used as a target for vaccines to locate the virus, because some antibodies will be generated by its stimulation resulting in some autoimmune diseases," she said,

Highlighting the inroads made by China's scientific community in studying the Zika virus, Shi revealed that her team has not only worked out the protein's molecular structure, but also learned how it interacts with the host during the infection process.

She added that this kind of research can help global prevention of the Zika virus, but stressed that more research had to be done to better understand the virus.

"The main objective of our research is to inform people that there is a Zika virus NS1 protein that can be used as an important virus locator in the future. We can use the NS1 protein to develop vaccines and provide relevant diagnosis."

Thirty countries have already been affected by the Zika virus, which been identified by medical experts as the cause of the steep rise in the birth of babies with abnormally small heads, or microcephaly, as well as cases of Guillain-Barre syndrome, a kind of muscle weakness disease.

China's research on the Zika Virus is a major contribution to global efforts towards creating a vaccine for the life-threatening disease.   

Tagschina, Zika virus, Zika Vaccine