Scientists are leveraging technology used to create jabs for the COVID-19 vaccines to create vaccines that fight the Nipah which bats and pigs can spread
Oxford scientists said that they are assessing whether the technology behind their COVID-19 jab could be used to protect people from the deadly Nipah virus.
If clinical trials are successful, it would be the first-ever vaccine for the disease.
Over the last week, people have begun receiving the jab at the University of Oxford as part of the first human trial of the new vaccine.
COVID vaccine developer, Prof. Dame Sarah Gilbert, said that work on the Nipah vaccine started in 2017 and was paused during the COVID-19 crisis.
The scientists noted that the outbreaks of the Nipah virus had mostly been found in South Asia and the virus can be fatal in up to 75% of cases.
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Nipah virus can be transmitted to humans from animals, such as bats or pigs, or contaminated foods and can also be transmitted directly from human-to-human.
In humans, it can cause acute respiratory infection and fatal encephalitis (swelling of the brain).
The virus was first identified 25 years ago but there were currently no treatments or vaccines available to help when outbreaks emerge.
But the new vaccine, ChAdOx1 NipahB, could be the first if it reaches safety and efficacy expectations.
Some 51 people aged 18 to 55 would participate in the trial, which is being led by the Oxford Vaccine Group and is being funded by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, CEPI.
The jab was developed using the same “viral vector” vaccine technology found in the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine.
