Zika vaccine trial has been started.
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According to the CDC, the Zika virus has affected 52 countries and territories around the world. In pregnant women, however, it has been associated with defects in the unborn child, such as microcephaly (an abnormally small head) and neurological disorders. Most people only experience mild symptoms.
So far, the almost 1,700 Zika infections reported in the United States mainly have been linked to travel to countries with Zika outbreaks in Latin America or the Caribbean.
According to reports, three different experimental vaccines against the Zika virus have shown significant success in protecting monkeys from the mosquito-borne virus.
These vaccines are developed by Harvard, the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre and the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. A month after the booster, the monkeys got a dose of Zika virus. All three prevented infection in animal trials.
The two vaccine candidates that were tested in monkeys consisted of a DNA vaccine and a purified, inactivated virus vaccine. Each version was tested in four monkeys, and another group of four monkeys received a placebo. Bernie Sanders of Vermont on Thursday sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) urging them to cut the summer recess short to have Congress consider a “clean” spending bill for Zika.
Nelson’s state has become the epicenter for Zika in the U.S. Fifteen people are reported to be infected with the virus in Miami’s Wynwood arts district.
“They have to go through an entire series of safety and efficacy studies”, said Dr. Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota. In the USA alone, about 6,400 Zika virus infection cases have already been reported.
The plasmid is injected into an arm muscle, and when the cells read the genes and create Zika proteins, “the body mounts an immune response”. “Infection diseases have traditionally been the greatest threat to solder health and readiness both in the field and in garrison”. Regarding the safety of the trial, the agency said that DNA vaccines do not contain infectious material. The vector-based vaccine produced a higher antibody count. A preliminary clinical trial found that it safely prompted an immune response. Each group will receive the same dose, however, they differ in interval in 20-week period.
At follow-up visits, investigators will also take blood samples for laboratory testing to measure the immune response to the vaccine.
“Although it will take some time before a vaccine against Zika is commercially available, the launch of this study is an important step forward”, Fauci said.
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The trial will take place in three locations in the US, including the NIH Clinical Center in Bethesda in Maryland, with at least 80 volunteers.
