The Zika vaccine will now be tried on humans following the success of the trials with monkeys. Scientists say it will start later this year.
After the spread of Zika virus, especially in Brazil, that caused defects on new-born babies, scientists and pharmaceutical companies are now further developing a vaccine for it. The vaccine is in progress and will now be tested on human subjects. As the tests were very successful with monkeys, they are hoping it will work on humans too.
There were three types of the vaccine created. As New York Post reported, there is the traditional type and two modern ones. Out of the three, two were moved to the next tests as they were successful. However, they are still assessing the vaccines carefully as to whether they are safe or if they have side effects to the immune system.
Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in Silver Spring developed a vaccine that will be tested on humans in October. Those vaccines, as Baltimore Sun stated, were tested on two groups of eight monkeys. The first group was vaccinated with a dead Zika virus so the body will learn how to fight it. After a month, they were shot with a booster to fight it off. The other batch was vaccinated with live virus. The results showed that the first batch did not get affected while the second one got the Zika virus.
One vaccine was already injected to a human subject in Pennsylvania. The Inovio Pharmaceuticals announced last week that they have started the tests already while another developed by Walter Reade Army Institute of Research in Silver Spring will begin tests in October. It is still not sure as to when it will be available for the public but experts say it is impossible this year. It will more likely be released in 2018.
