Researchers have concluded a successful trial of new herpes vaccine in animals.
The trial showed that the "trivalent" vaccine can protect animals from herpes simplex virus by stopping the pathogen from entering the cell and compromising the individual's immune system. The researchers found out that the vaccine was 98 percent effective in providing protection to guinea pigs.
Dr. Harvey Friedman of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine's Institute for Immunology said that monkeys also developed better immune response against the viral infection.
Friedman and his team are currently looking for pharmaceutical companies willing to help them develop the product for human testing. The senior researcher added that his team would start testing the vaccine in humans within 18 months. "An effective genital herpes vaccine could have a major impact on the HIV epidemic," Friedman said.
The researchers believe that an effective vaccine should not only prevent infection but will also stop the virus from escaping the immune system's sensing. Friedman explained that "in essence, we're stimulating the immune system to attack the virus and at the same time, preventing the virus from using some of the tools it has to thwart that immune attack."
The sexually transmitted viral infection affects roughly 500 million individuals worldwide. There is approximately one infected in every six people aged between 15 to 29 in the United States. During the dormant stage, the virus can be difficult to detect making it harder to treat. "It has adapted strategies so that even if our immune system is intact, we can't get rid of it," Friedman noted.
Some of the common symptoms of genital herpes include blisters and sores around the genital area, painful urination, muscle aches, and fever. Mothers with the disease may have babies with severe to lethal illness during. Friedman added that genital sores also increase an individual's risk of acquiring HIV.