Publishers And Funders Back Sharing Of Zika Data

Recognizing an emerging public health crisis, an international group of 30 scientific publishers and funders has agreed to share information related to the Zika virus. Publishers of journals including Science, Nature, and the New England Journal of Medicine will make all Zika-related content available for free and lift any restrictions on data sharing that might otherwise prevent publication. Research funders will set up ways for scientists to share data as quickly and as widely as possible with other researchers, public health officials, and the World Health Organization. Those signing on include national science agencies in the U.S., Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, and Japan, as well as nonprofits such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. “We are committed to working in partnership to ensure that the global response to public health emergencies is informed by the best available research evidence and data,” a joint statement from the 30 organizations said. The announcement follows a request from the Obama Administration for more than $1.8 billion in funding to fight the Zika virus (see page 7).