Synthetic MERS vaccine fully protects monkeys

Saudi Arabia health officials are now issuing a warning that the MERS virus is on the rise.

“In view of… the increasing number of cases of MERS-coronavirus, and due to the around-the-clock large numbers of patients in the ER at KAMC-R and the difficulty of applying quarantine measures, preventive measures have been upgraded”, he said. Later, the animals were exposed to the MERS virus.

“This simple synthetic vaccine has the potential to overcome important production and deployment limitations”, said Karuppiah Muthumani, the first author for the study, adding that the vaccine doesn’t pose the threat of spreading to non-targeted individuals as it is non-live.

A single dose of vaccination protected eight rhesus monkeys from contracting the disease, and a similar response was observed in the three camels treated with the DNA vaccines. In the span of a week, Riyadh has seen more than 40 cases of the disease, 15 of them affecting health workers.

At the same time, the vaccine was also found to be capable of producing possibly protective antibodies in the blood of camels.

“gThe significant recent increase in MERS cases, coupled with the lack of effective antiviral therapies or vaccines to treat or prevent this infection, have raised significant concern”, David Weiner professor at Perelman School of Medicine noted.

MERS is a viral respiratory disease that was first discovered in Saudi Arabia in 2012.

Saudi Arabia has already announced the banning of sacrificing camels as part of the Haj rituals this year, as among the steps to curb the virus’ spread. It has occurred in the Arabian Peninsula, Europe, and in the US, researchers said.

The executive director of its Infection Prevention and Control Department, Hanan Balkhi, confirmed in a statement on the facility’s website that there were MERS cases amongst health workers.

MERS has now affected more than 1,300 people and claimed the lives of over 400.

According to WHO, severe forms of MERS can cause respiratory failure that can land the patient in intensive care unit for mechanical ventilation.

Rana Sidani of the World Health Organization’s Eastern Mediterranean office says that a vaccine is needed as soon as possible because MERS is rampant and millions of Islamic pilgrims visit the country. However, supportive treatment can be given to the patient to help manage the symptoms.