University of California, Irvine infectious disease researchers have shown the effectiveness of a potential alternative to the existing smallpox vaccine that can replace the current biodefense stockpile for this lethal virus.
Philip Felgner and Huw Davies with the Department of Medicine found that the modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) produced the same antiviral response in human and animal studies as the current smallpox vaccine, Dryvax. The study is part of a national effort to develop a replacement for the Dryvax vaccine, which causes serious complications in some people. The results are published in the Journal of Virology."Studies have shown MVA to be a much safer vaccine product that takes advantage of modern technology," Felgner said. "We are pleased that our advanced analytical methods may help to bring an effective and safer vaccine to the public."
[source]
Smallpox was eradicated in the 1970s, and it is believed that routine vaccination has kept its return from happening. Of course, if it was really eradicated then that does not make a lot of sense...
Anyway, Dryvax and MVA are similar to smallpox, so antibodies created for one can work on the other. However, these viruses themselves are not particularly harmful. MVA has advantages over Dryvax in terms of safety and manufacture process.
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....it is believed that routine vaccination has kept its return from happening. Of course, if it was really eradicated then that does not make a lot of sense...
"Routine" in what way? My wife and I (born late 1950s) bear the customary vaccination scar of our generation, but our kids (born mid-80s) were not vaccinated for smallpox. Is there somewhere in the world where vaccination is still done?
Posted by: Eamon Knight | January 8, 2008 11:14 PM
Eamon, over the last ten years the rate of vaccination has gone down, and five years ago or so it was essentially stopped. I'm surprised your kids were not vaccinated (but not with smallpox .. rather, with vaccinia vaccine).
Posted by: Greg Laden | January 9, 2008 7:39 AM
potential alternative to the existing smallpox vaccine that can replace the current biodefense stockpile for this lethal virus.
Would those stockpiles have been options for terrorists interested in biological warfare?
Could MVA develop similar risks over time?
Could the two develop differences that would make MVA obsolete?
Posted by: Chris Hanson | January 9, 2008 10:07 AM
Eamon, over the last ten years the rate of vaccination has gone down, and five years ago or so it was essentially stopped. I'm surprised your kids were not vaccinated (but not with smallpox .. rather, with vaccinia vaccine).
Smallpox vaccination (with vaccinia) was stopped in the USA sometime in the 1970s. My first child, born in 1978, was not vaccinated. If I recall correctly, smallpox vaccinations in the US were stopped several years before the disease was declared eradicated.
When I began teaching virology in 1985, my students (mostly college seniors maybe 21-22 years old)had vaccination scars. A few years later, most of the students had no idea why their parents both had scars in the same places on their arms and they never thought to ask.
Posted by: Tex | January 10, 2008 1:15 AM
Tex: Right, 1977 was the year the disease was declared dead.
The first-responder vaccination program was ended more recently. I don't know how many first responders were actually vaccinated.
Posted by: Greg Laden | January 10, 2008 7:40 AM