A vaccine can take months or even years to prevent coronavirus, but a team of researchers in the U.S. says a current vaccine can be used to prevent the worst effects of coronavirus infection.
They suggest increasing the dose of measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine, which helps prevent some of the most severe effects of Covid-19, perhaps to see if people are increasing immunity overall.
His thoughts: The MMR vaccine is known to protect children from infections that go far beyond the three viruses targeted by the vaccine. The theory is that the vaccine increases the general immunity, as well as educating the body to recognize certain viruses.
MMR vaccine is known as a live vaccine. It uses rather weakened or attenuated versions of measles, mumps and rubella viruses to produce immune protection without making people sick. Because it uses the full virus, it stimulates an immune response that is broad and goes beyond antibody production.
Paul Fidel of Louisiana State University and Mairi Noverr said, “There is evidence that live attenuated vaccines provide nonspecific protection against lethal infections that are not related to the target pathogen of the vaccine by inducing ‘trained’ nonspecific immune cells for improved host responses to subsequent infections. ” He wrote a letter to Tulane University mBio magazine.
“A clinical trial with MMR in high-risk populations could provide a“ low-risk – high-reward ”preventive measure in life saving during this unprecedented COVID-19 outbreak,” they wrote. There is no serious risk to vaccinate most people, and the approach can be particularly effective for protecting healthcare workers.
“If we’re wrong, at least people will have new antibodies for measles, mumps and rubella. So there is no harm, no foul, ”Fidel said to CNN.
“We emphasize that this is an absolutely preventive measure against the worst living sequels of COVID-19 for those exposed / infected, and in no way represents an antiviral treatment or vaccine against COVID-19,” Fidel and Noverr wrote in their letter.
