Global scientific community unites to sign declaration to share data on Zika

In an effort to put a stop to the current Zika virus outbreak, some leading academic journals, health bodies, research funders, and research institutions have signed a declaration to share relevant data and results pertaining to the Zika virus. The members of the global community who have committed to the cause include 20 organizations with the likes of Médecins Sans Frontières, the US National Institute of Health, and the Wellcome Trust as well as 11 journals and publishers such as Springer Nature, Science, and the New England Journal of Medicine.

The rapid dissemination of data and results during pandemics is essential to help researchers understand the patterns in an outbreak and draw preventive and curative measures. However, data sharing is usually difficult during such times due to geographical, cultural, and ethical limitations. In the past, during public health emergencies such as the Ebola and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) pandemics, the lack of data made it difficult for medical professionals and researchers to contain the outbreak. Hence, Jeremy Farrar, director of the Wellcome Trust in London, initiated the pledge titled “Statement on Data Sharing in Public Health Emergencies” to make all information concerning the Zika virus freely accessible to accelerate global response. Farrar said, “It’s extremely heartening to see so many leading international organizations united in this unprecedented commitment to open science.”  

Although the declaration commits to sharing data, it does not promise the sharing of physical samples, which is crucial to combat an outbreak like Zika. Brazil, which is at the epicenter of the current outbreak, has legal regulations that make sharing of physical samples that include genetic material difficult. However, due to the criticism directed at the legal constraints that prevent a better understanding of the virus, the Brazilian government is considering the reformation of these laws.  

The current Zika virus outbreak began in early 2015 in Brazil and has since spread to more than 20 countries. With the suspected connection between Zika virus and microcephaly, and neurological and auto-immune complications, the Zika virus was declared a global health emergency by the World Health Organization earlier this month.