The Advanced Science and Technology Research Center of the University of Tokyo has developed a vaccine expected to be effective in preventing Nipah virus infection, reports Nikkei.
The vaccine is based on a recombinant measles virus into which Nipah genes have been inserted. In preclinical trials on macaques, the drug demonstrated complete protection against lethal outcome following infection.
Clinical trials of the vaccine will begin in Belgium in April: the drug will be tested on humans for the first time. The project is being implemented in collaboration with the European Vaccine Initiative with financial support from the Japanese agency SCARDA. In the second half of 2027, it is planned to begin expanded trials in Bangladesh involving adults and children.
Currently, there is no effective vaccine against the Nipah virus. Since the infection has a high mortality rate, there are high hopes for the vaccine’s swift practical application, the publication notes.
The Nipah virus (NiV) is an extremely dangerous zoonotic pathogen belonging to the Henipavirus genus of the Paramyxoviridae family. Its natural host are fruit bats of the Pteropus genus. Since the first outbreak in Malaysia in 1998, Nipah occurrences have been recorded in Bangladesh, India, Singapore, and the Philippines. With a case fatality rate ranging from 40% to 80% and the ability to transmit from human to human, it is included by the World Health Organization in the list of pathogens causing primary concern.
According to Rospotrebnadzor (the Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing) as of January 29, no cases of disease caused by the Nipah virus have been registered in Russia. At border crossing points, the Perimeter system is operational, allowing for the real-time identification of passengers showing signs of infectious diseases. Furthermore, Russia has a sufficient number of test systems for diagnosing the virus. As emphasized by the sanitary authority, there are no conditions for the spread of Nipah in Russia. The main carriers of the virus—fruit bats—primarily inhabit tropical and subtropical regions and are not common in our country.
