FRIDAY, Sept. 4, 2020 (HealthDay Information) — A brand new clinical trial will attempt to decide whether or not the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine can defend well being care employees from being contaminated with COVID-19.
A whole bunch of thousands and thousands of individuals have obtained the MMR vaccine because it was developed practically 50 years in the past. It is often given to kids earlier than age 6. Rising proof means that the vaccine may stop COVID-19.
“We all know that the MMR vaccine is protected, and we predict there are two fundamental causes that it may stop COVID-19,” stated researcher Dr. Michael Avidan, head of the division of anesthesiology at Washington College Faculty of Drugs in St. Louis.
“The primary is that this vaccine consists of small quantities of dwell however very weakened measles, mumps and rubella viruses,” Avidan defined in a college information launch. “Such a vaccine seems to strengthen the physique’s immune response to infections basically, not simply to the viruses in that specific vaccine.”
The MMR vaccine may work as a result of it protects towards viruses which are just like coronavirus. The researchers assume that antibodies made to the MMR vaccine may additionally struggle SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19).
As well as, the researchers hope that the MMR vaccine may make instances of COVID-19 milder.
The trial is funded by a $9 million grant from the Invoice and Melinda Gates Basis, Wellcome Belief, Mastercard, and different public and philanthropic donors.
Researchers hope to enroll as many as 30,000 well being care employees all over the world. Members will probably be randomly chosen to get the MMR vaccine or a placebo.
Most of these recruited for the trial will obtain a booster, as they seemingly obtained the vaccine as kids. However in some international locations the place the MMR vaccine is not broadly given, well being care employees could also be receiving the vaccine for the primary time, the researchers famous.
The international locations concerned within the examine embody Canada, Ghana, Eire, South Africa, Uganda, United Kingdom, United States, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Every examine participant will probably be adopted for 5 months, and the complete trial is predicted to final a few 12 months, the researchers stated. Scientists at College School London (UCL) will compile the information from the trial.
