Scientists Developed a New Vaccine For Plague, And It's Ready For Human Trials
The University of Oxford has just launched a Phase 1 trial to test a new vaccine against a very old enemy – plague – all based on technology that is helping humanity fight COVID.
And they want you to help: They're recruiting for volunteers who are happy to be jabbed in the name of science to test a new experimental vaccine.
While infamous for its historic outbreaks like the Black Death that swiftly killed around half of Europe's population in the 1300s, plague still ravages parts of Africa and occasionally breaks out elsewhere too. Only last week, a 10-year-old boy died of complications from plague in the US.
Caused by the bacteria Yersinia pestis, plague can be transferred from animals to humans via fleas, and then spreads through contaminated body fluids or other materials. Untreated, this horrific disease can be rapidly fatal, with as much as a 100 percent mortality rate depending on how it infects the body.
It can begin with flu-like symptoms – fevers, chills, aches, and fatigue – and in its most common form progresses to inflamed and painful lymph nodes, which are called buboes. This is where the term bubonic plague comes from.
