Press release: PHE announce world's first Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever vaccine (UK.GOV, March 12 2014, edited)

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[Source: Public Health England, full page: (LINK). Edited.]


Press release: PHE announce world's first Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever vaccine

Scientists at Public Health England (<ABBR>PHE</ABBR>) have engineered a novel vaccine against Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (<ABBR>CCHF</ABBR>) virus, announced today in the journal <ABBR>PLOS ONE</ABBR>.


The vaccine was able to give 100% protection against <ABBR>CCHF</ABBR> in an experimental model in mice. This is the first report that an experimental <ABBR>CCHF</ABBR> vaccine can be effective in such a challenge model. The experimental vaccine uses a friendly virus, which has an excellent safety record in over 100,000 people, to present the components of <ABBR>CCHF</ABBR> virus and induce a protective immune response to this severe disease.

Professor Miles Carroll, a deputy director and head of research at microbiology services at <ABBR>PHE</ABBR> said:

This is a significant breakthrough and demonstrates the potential to develop a publically available vaccine against Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever.

Viruses don?t have borders. Our work on <ABBR>CCHF</ABBR> not only demonstrates our commitment to the health of the UK, but also our scientists desire to combat infections worldwide.

Professor Roger Hewson, a scientific leader at <ABBR>PHE</ABBR> said:

This report provides the first demonstration of protection by a <ABBR>CCHF</ABBR> vaccine, in a model system. The current data look promising and represent progress in the search for a medical intervention that can be used to protect against <ABBR>CCHF</ABBR>.

<ABBR>CCHF</ABBR> is endemic in many countries in Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Eastern Europe, including Turkey and Bulgaria. Since 2001 new outbreaks have been reported in tourist areas including Greece, India and Pakistan.

More than 4400 cases have occurred in Turkey since 2002. In 2012, a lethal case of <ABBR>CCHF</ABBR> occurred in a UK citizen returning to Glasgow from Afghanistan.

People most at risk are agricultural workers, health-care workers and military personnel deployed to endemic areas. <ABBR>CCHF</ABBR> is most often transmitted by a tick bite but can also be spread through contact with infected patients or animals.

ends


Notes to editors

• <A href="http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0091516">A copy of this paper is available from the <ABBR>PLOS ONE</ABBR> site
• Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (<ABBR>CCHF</ABBR>) is a viral haemorrhagic fever caused by a virus of the Nairovirus group. <ABBR>CCHF</ABBR> is a zoonosis, and infects a range of domestic and wild animals. It is spread via the bite of an infected tick. <ABBR>CCHF</ABBR> was first described in the Crimea in 1944, among soldiers and agricultural workers, and in 1969 it was recognised that the virus causing the disease was identical to a virus isolated from a child in the Congo in 1956.
• Public Health England?s mission is to protect and improve the nation?s health and to address inequalities through working with national and local government, the NHS, industry and the voluntary and community sector. <ABBR>PHE</ABBR> is an operationally autonomous executive agency of the Department of Health.

Infections press office: <ABBR>PHE</ABBR> press office ? infections, 61 Colindale Avenue, London, NW9 5EQ / Email infections-pressoffice@phe.gov.uk / Phone 020 8327 7901 / Out of hours 020 8200 4400


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