Scientists begin developing vaccine against unknown disease
British scientists begin work to protect against a new pandemic caused by «disease X». The work is being done at the notorious Porton Down High Security Government Laboratory Complex in Wiltshire.
British scientists have begun developing vaccines as insurance against a new pandemic caused by the unknown «disease X», according to Sky News.
The work is being carried out at Porton Down, a government high-security laboratory complex in Wiltshire, by a team of more than 200 scientists .
Scientists have compiled a list of dangerous animal viruses that can infect people and in the future can quickly spread around the world. It is not known which one will break through and cause the next pandemic, which is why the coming disease is only referred to as «Disease X».
Sky News correspondents were escorted around the facility run by the UK Health Security Agency to demonstrate the work being done in laboratories with a high degree of isolation.
Professor Jenny Harris, head of the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), told Sky News: «What we're trying to do here is make sure we're prepared so that if we have a new disease X, a new pathogen, we'll do as much of this work as possible in advance. Hopefully we can prevent a pandemic. But if we can't and we have to respond, then we've already started developing vaccines and therapeutics to deal with it.»
The Vaccine Development and Evaluation Center at Porton Down has been expanded to take on this work, Sky News notes. Initially, it focused on COVID and testing the effectiveness of vaccines against new variants.
But the center's scientists are now monitoring several high-risk pathogens, including avian influenza, monkeypox, and hantavirus, a disease spread by rodents.
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One of the first successes was the world's first vaccine against Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, a tick-borne disease with a 30% fatality rate.
Early-stage clinical trials have just begun and 24 volunteers are expected to test the drug.
The disease is becoming more prevalent in Europe as global temperatures rise and some travelers have returned to the UK with the infection.
Professor Harris emphasizes that climate change and population migration increase the likelihood of a new pandemic. “What we are seeing is a growing risk around the world,” she said.
“Part of this is due to factors like urbanization where the virus can be transmitted to people living nearby, as we saw with bird flu,” says Jenny Harris. “And part of it is due to climate change, when such creatures , like ticks and mosquitoes, move to where it used to be cold and now it's getting warmer. So this is a growing risk program. But it's a case where we can actively use our science to prevent human impact.»
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Avian influenza is currently considered the most likely threat of a pandemic, Sky News points out.
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds reports that at least 30,000 seabirds have died across the UK this summer as a more dangerous strain of the H5N1 virus spread around the world. There is also evidence of limited distribution in some mammals. And four people working at poultry farms in the UK also tested positive but were only marginally affected.
The UKHSA has begun monitoring people in close contact with the birds in case the virus could be spreading without causing symptoms.
The agency is participating in a global effort to develop a vaccine within 100 days of a new pathogen being recognized as having pandemic potential.
«Historically, this would be unheard of says Prof Harris, «Usually it takes five or 10 years. For COVID it was about 360 days. So that's a really high ambition. But for some viruses it's definitely possible.»