Plymouth Meeting biotech enrolls 160 volunteers in Puerto Rico to test Zika vaccine stat : Philly

Inovio is developing its Zika vaccine with GeneOne Life Science in South Korea and academic collaborators, including the Wistar Institute in University City. In February, Inovio reported positive clinical results in a human Zika trial at three U.S. and Canadian locations, including Philadelphia. To date, there are no approved vaccines or therapies for the mosquito-borne Zika virus infection. Inovio Pharmaceuticals in Plymouth Meeting said Thursday that it has completed enrollment and begun a clinical study of its experimental Zika vaccine in 160 healthy adult volunteers in Puerto Rico, where the virus outbreak has been declared a public health emergency. Inovio will have to do another study, where people are given the vaccine and then exposed to Zika virus, to test whether the antibody response is strong enough to prevent Zika virus infection.




But there have only been 10 new cases reported since the end of April, according to the Puerto Rico Department of Health. The Puerto Rico Department of Health has reported only 38 cases of Zika-related birth defects. As of May 20, the most recent data available, the Puerto Rico Department of Health reported (PDF) 40,330 confirmed cases of the Zika virus since the outbreak began last year. Among those cases, there have been 52 Zika-related cases of Guillain-Barre Syndrome , a type of temporary paralysis that is caused by viruses including Zika. Story highlights The US territory has confirmed 40,330 cases of Zika since the outbreak began last yearA public health emergency was declared in August, when the number of cases surpassed 10,000(CNN) The Zika virus epidemic that's been plaguing Puerto Rico for the past year is over, the governor's office announced Monday.

Puerto Rico declares Zika epidemic to be over

Health officials and experts have expressed concern about underreporting of birth defects in Puerto Rico. (Allison Shelley for The Washington Post)Puerto Rico's Zika epidemic has ended, officials said Monday, noting substantially fewer new cases this spring. Cemeteries like this one in San Juan are perfect breeding grounds for the mosquito that can carry dengue, chikungunya and Zika viruses. The island has been the part of the United States hardest hit by the mosquito-borne virus, with authorities counting more than 40,000 confirmed cases of Zika infection as of May 20, including 3,678 pregnant women. In the continental United States, with 1,579 Zika-infected pregnant women, there have been 80 pregnancy losses or babies born with birth defects, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.


collected by :Lucy William

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