The vaccine being used today for measles, which is administered through injection, is both safe and effective. However, a new measles vaccine that uses dry powder could increase the coverage of the vaccine by making it easier to transport and administer.
The dry powder measles vaccine has proven to be safe in early batches of trials on humans, and it has proven to be effective in previous trials on animals. The test results were published in the Vaccine journal.
The recent developments on measles vaccines are becoming more significant as the disease is making a comeback over the past few years. While the disease was once largely believed to be contained, there have already been 603 confirmed cases of measles in the United States for the year, which is the highest number since 2000.
Measles is described by the World Health Organization as "one of the most readily transmitted communicable diseases and probably the best known and most deadly of all childhood rash/fever illnesses."
Measles is spread through direct contact or droplets from throat or nose secretions by other people that have been infected. The disease can also be caught airborne or from other objects that contain the secretions.
In 2013, measles killed 145,700 people all over the world, with most of the victims being children, despite the presence of injectable vaccinations.
Robert Sievers from the department of chemistry and biochemistry of the University of Colorado, who is also the author of the latest study on dry powder measles vaccines, said that delivering injectable vaccines is not easy in less-developed countries.
To address the challenges, Sievers and his team developed a technique to deliver the vaccination an inhalable dry powder. Using such a technique bypasses the need for proper storage of liquid and also avoids the possibility of contamination for the liquid vaccinations.
Previous studies showed that the dry powder vaccine was successful in animal testing, and that they can be stored safely for up to four years at room temperature or within refrigerators at 2°C to 8°C.
The latest research revealed that it was safe on humans as well, with no side effects. However, because it was tested on men that have already previously received the vaccination, its effectiveness has not yet been determined.
The team of Sievers will now be proceeding to the second and third phase of human trials, which will include subjects that have not received measles vaccinations. Succeeding trials will also have children and women as test subjects.
Included in the authors of the study are researchers coming from the Serum Institute of India, which is the biggest manufacturer of children's vaccines used in developing nations.
