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Army researchers developing Zika vaccine | Health.mil

Army researchers developing Zika vaccine | Health.mil

Health.mil



Army researchers developing Zika vaccine

Reference materials on display at a mosquito specimen sorting table. The materials show different stages of insect development in addition to both male and female samples, providing a guideline for specimen assortment.  (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Mozer O. Da Cunha)

Reference materials on display at a mosquito specimen sorting table. The materials show different stages of insect development in addition to both male and female samples, providing a guideline for specimen assortment. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Mozer O. Da Cunha)



REsearchers at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in Silver Spring, Maryland, moved quickly to develop and begin testing a Zika vaccine candidate early this year. The fast-moving virus, which is transmitted by infected mosquitos and through sexual contact, alarmed the world as it spread through South and Central America, causing serious birth defects. A preclinical study published June 28 in the journal Nature indicated the feasibility of a vaccine to prevent Zika infection in humans. The study was completed by WRAIR and collaborators at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center at Harvard Medical School.
The WRAIR and Harvard teams are now testing this vaccine in a second preclinical model. If everything goes well, the plan is to start human testing later this year. On July 6, WRAIR announced a cooperative research and development agreement with Sanofi Pasteur to transfer its vaccine technology to the pharmaceutical company to explore advanced and larger-scale manufacturing and production.
"The Army has an interest in supporting development of countermeasures against Zika," said Dr. George V. Ludwig, acting principal assistant for research and technology for the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command. "Infectious diseases have traditionally been the greatest threat to Soldier health and readiness both in the field and in the garrison. …Similarly, it's also important to support the health and welfare of our Soldier-dependent population here in the United States by finding ways to protect them from this emerging disease."
The mosquitoes that transmit Zika virus, Aedes aegypti, are also the ones responsible for spreading the dengue, yellow fever and chikungunya viruses. These mosquitoes, and the viruses they carry, have been expanding their geographic reach. Until last year, Zika was limited to the tropics of the Indian Ocean basin and the South Pacific. The wide range of A. aegypti and their ability to breed anywhere there is even a tiny amount of stagnant water makes them hard to control. That's why prevention strategies are needed that are directed at the mosquito as well as the human host.
Although Zika manifests clinically in only 20 percent of those infected and generally causes a mild disease of self-limited fever and muscle or joint pain, the virus can cause neurologic disease and death in developing fetuses. Zika virus is also unique among mosquito-borne diseases in that it can be transmitted through sexual contact.
However, a vaccine that limits the amount of virus in the blood will likely prevent transfer of the virus from mother to child or between sexual partners and interrupt transmission within at-risk populations. 
The Zika virus disease was originally discovered in 1947, in the Zika Forest of Uganda. Dr. Alexander J. Haddow was the first to study the virus after a rhesus monkey developed a fever from the bite of an A. africanus mosquito. 
His grandson, Dr. Andrew D. Haddow, followed in his footsteps to become a virologist at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, where he also studies the disease on the other half of the research spectrum--basic research. He and his colleagues are doing the work that lays the foundation for understanding the virus.
"Everyone here understands the gravity of the situation, and the impact that our work will make for not only our service members but also populations around the globe," said Haddow. "Our number one goal is to move good science forward as rapidly as possible."
Disclaimer: Re-published content may have been edited for length and clarity. Read original post.




Obama: Zika poses significant threat, public should take precautions

Article
8/8/2016
Yellow fever mosquitoes – Aedes aegypti – are reared in the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research insectary by the thousands for use in pre-clinical Zika vaccine experiments and for research into new vector control products and methods. (Walter Reed Army Institute of Research photo)
The Defense Department is working closely with federal, state and local authorities to monitor the threat of Zika to its military and civilian personnel and their dependents
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All Things Mosquito

Video
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All Things Mosquito
Watch this video to learn the basic facts about mosquitoes and the illnesses they carry.
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Zika Draft Interim Response Plan

Publication
8/1/2016
The purpose of this document is to describe the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) response plan for locally acquired cases of Zika virus infection in the continental United States and Hawaii.
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BAMC one of several hospitals participating in emergency airway study

Article
7/28/2016
Army National Guard Sgt. Bobby Steward (left), a medic, assists Army National Guard Capt. Nicole Foster, a physician assistant as she intubates an airway on a training mannequin.
National Emergency Airway Registry is a multi-center, prospective emergency medicine led registry
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Hidden gem strengthens cutting-edge DoD research

Article
7/27/2016
Inventory technician Marcus Gunther works inside one of the state-of-the-art freezers that house more than 60 million serum specimens collected from more than 10 million active duty and reserve service members in support of military medical surveillance. (Courtesy photo)
The DoD Serum Repository is the world’s largest repository of its kind, storing more than 60 million vials of blood serum from more than 10 million active duty and reserve service members
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Stay Healthy on the Road to Rio

Infographic
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Infographic about preventing mosquito-borne illnesses when traveling to the Olympics.
This infographic from the CDC offers tips for travelers heading to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
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A human vaccine for the Zika virus may be coming soon

Video
7/22/2016
A human vaccine for the Zika virus may be coming soon
Scientists at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in Silver Spring, Maryland, have developed a vaccine for the Zika virus. They received a strain of the virus from Puerto Rico in November 2015, and have since created a purified inactivated virus, like the flu shot. The vaccine is called ZPIV, and so far, it looks promising that military medical research will be a key contributor to preventing the continued spread of the Zika virus.
Related Topics: Mosquito-Borne Illnesses | Zika Virus | Immunization Healthcare | Medical Research and Development

An Army specialist helps create a possible Zika vaccine

Article
7/22/2016
U.S. Army Spc. Chris Springer flashes a smile as he puts some of his work into one of the facility’s many refrigerators. (DoD photo by Katie Lange)
An Army specialist is one of very few service members to get to work on the Zika vaccine
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Zika: Protecting Children from Mosquito Bites at Camp

Fact Sheet
7/20/2016
This CDC fact sheet targeted to parents, provides tips to keep their children healthy while at camp.
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Zika: Protecting Camp Staff and Staffers

Fact Sheet
7/20/2016
This CDC fact sheet targeted to Camp Administrators provides tips to keep staff and campers healthy while at camp.
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Army researchers, Sanofi Pasteur to co-develop Zika virus vaccine

Article
7/13/2016
A digitally-colorized transmission electron micrograph of Zika virus, which is a member of the family Flaviviridae. Virus particles, here colored blue, are 40 nanometers in diameter with an outer envelope and an inner dense core.
A recently signed cooperative research and development agreement will allow the transfer of the Zika purified inactivated virus, or ZPIV, technology to Sanofi to explore advanced and larger-scale manufacturing and production
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Pathogen reduction technology funding approved, ASBP on the forefront of deployment

Article
6/27/2016
The Armed Services Blood Bank Center at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., received a new state-of-the-art blood mobile May 5.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has agreed to provide more than $48 million to fund pathogen reduction technologies
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MHS experts offers summer advice from fighting bugs to knowing where to go for medical help

Article
6/23/2016
Warmer weather naturally draws more people to pools, lakes, rivers and the ocean. Keep an eye on each other, especially children. He said despite soaking in water, people can become dehydrated. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Charles Santamaria)
Whether it’s keeping bugs away or knowing how to get help, check out these tips to have safer summer vacation travel.
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Naval Health Research Center launches norovirus vaccine trial

Article
6/22/2016
Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Sterling Wold, a hospital corpsman in Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton's Family Medicine Immunizations Clinic, gives a shot to a patient. Extensive safety testing for this potential norovirus vaccine has been performed in civilian populations, but because the recruit training population regularly experiences large outbreaks of norovirus, it is a perfect place to test the effectiveness of the vaccine for the military. (U.S. Navy photo by Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Markian R. Carreon)
Currently, there is no vaccine to prevent norovirus, a highly contagious disease which causes vomiting and diarrhea
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Zika Virus and Sexual Transmission

Infographic
6/21/2016
infographic about sexual transmission of the Zika virus
Zika virus can be spread by a man with Zika to his sex partners. This infographic provides tips for avoiding sexual transmission of the Zika virus.
Related Topics: Preventing Mosquito-Borne Illnesses | Zika Virus | Mosquito-Borne Illnesses

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