Bilharzia – a new vaccine soon to be available!

[9 November 2009 - 16h54]

After several years of research by INSERM (the French National Institute for Health and Medical Research), Bilhvax, a therapeutic vaccine against bilharzia is entering its final trial phase.

Up to now, the drug treatments available have been costly and of limited effectiveness and it has been impossible to keep the disease in check! But with the development of Bilhvax, a genuine alternative now seems possible. Having just entered “phase III” trials, its in-the-field effectiveness will be tested for five years with a group of children in Senegal, already infected with the disease.

Although the general public is now familiar with the dangers of malaria, bilharzia – the world’s second most common parasitic disease – remains relatively unknown. And yet it is an illness that affects 200 million people and kills 300,000 every year. The parasite responsible for the infection lives in fresh water: after a period maturing inside a freshwater snail it latches on to its human “prey” by slipping under the skin and taking up residence in the blood vessels of the bladder. And if left undiagnosed, it can cause serious lesions.

So… if you spend time in Africa, be careful about going into the water: 85% of cases are contracted in sub-Saharan Africa, but the parasite is found in no fewer than 76 countries!

Source : INSERM, 9 october 2009

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