An Australian lab is racing to make a vaccine for a life-threatening virus haemorrhagic fever, also in a bid to prevent the next global pandemic, dubbed Disease X.
Bolivian Chapare virus (haemorrhagic fever) was kept secret until February 10. A meeting with international pandemic experts were briefed on the deadly disease.
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It’s spread by rodents that inflicts bleeding gums, fever and pain behind the eyes, leading to death for 60 per cent of victims.
There have only been five outbreaks in South America since 2003. The most recent case was in January this year, which killed a farmer in his 50s.
Australia is leading the charge to find a vaccine, while aiming for us to be better prepared by July.
The fastest vaccine ever made was one of Pfizer’s early COVID-19 jabs, with the help of international funding. The vaccine took 337 days between identification of the disease and approval of the vaccine.
Researchers at the University of Queensland are preparing labs for rapid vaccine development in the case of Disease X.
Their second goal is to make prototype vaccines for the 25 virus families that pose a pandemic threat to humans.
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