BREAKING: Zika vaccine being tested in U.S.

Vaccine that reacts to mosquito saliva could also protect against malaria, West Nile and other diseases.

The National Institutes of Health has begun studying a vaccine that would provide broad protection against diseases transmitted by mosquitoes — including Zika, malaria, West Nile and dengue fever — by triggering an immune response to mosquito saliva.

The study is being conducted at the NIH Clinical Center in Maryland and is an early state clinical trial. But if the vaccine proves successful in preventing the spread of such diseases it could be life-saving.

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Concern over Zika spread quickly in late 2015 as the number of cases, especially in south, central and parts of north America grew. Zika can be passed from a pregnant woman to her fetus and infection during pregnancy can cause serious birth defects, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The disease can also cause blindness, deafness in babies, miscarriages and still births. Zika is also believed to cause the nerve disorder Guillain-Barre Syndrome, in children and adults.

There is currently no vaccine or medicine for Zika.

Since 2015 there have been more than 5,000 cases of Zika virus in the United States, according to the CDC. That includes 4,748 cases in travelers returning from affected areas, 220 cases acquired from local mosquitoes in Florida and Texas, and 72 cases transmitted through sexual contact, mother-to-baby or by other means.

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According to the World Health Organization, 214 million people were infected with malaria globally in 2015 and 438,000 people died, mostly young African children.

The study will involve 60 participants who will be tested for the presence of antibodies after being injected with the vaccine, and will be exposed to mosquito bites to see if there is any change in the body’s response. The mosquitoes will not be carrying diseases.

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The mosquitoes will also be tested after biting because the scientists hypothesize that the mosquitoes who bite vaccinated participants may have altered behavior that could lead to early death or a reduced ability to reproduce.

“This would indicate that the experimental vaccine could also hinder disease transmission by controlling the mosquito population,” the NIH said in announcing the study.

The study is expected to be completed by summer 2018.

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