Consortium in quest for ‘single shot’ bivalent Nipah virus vaccine
An international consortium of scientists and commercial partners is aiming to develop a vaccine and companion diagnostic test for Nipah virus (NiV).
The newly emerging zoonotic disease infects pigs and can spread to people. Carried by fruit bats, it can cause human encephalitis (brain swelling), leading to severe illness or even death.
A 1998 Malaysian outbreak, which killed more than 100 people, was controlled by culling almost half the nation’s pig population, devastating the farming industry.