New Rabies Vaccine Developed

A live-attenuated rabies virus vaccine is likely to provide effective immunisation with a single dose, which has practical, cost and logistical advantages over conventional multidose vaccines with respect to the worldwide eradication of dog rabies

clipped from news.bbc.co.uk Rabies kills around 55,000 people every year and although there are effective treatments for the disease, prevention is seen as the most desirable option. Once symptoms appear it is almost always fatal, but people who contract rabies can be treated with a protracted course of antibodies and vaccinations to fight the virus after being bitten. What is needed, say Milosz Faber and his team, is a potent vaccine that will offer lifelong protection in just one simple dose. To this end, they have developed a live-attenuated vaccine which contains a weakened form of the rabies virus. The researchers said their vaccine could make global eradication of canine rabies feasible. They told PNAS: "Inappropriate dog vaccination programmes, limited access to vaccination and post-exposure treatment of individuals who have been exposed to rabid dogs are major problems in developing countries. "The UK has officially rabies free status since 1922 and the EU's Pet Travel Scheme has helped keep this status.