NIH testing vaccine to protect against mosquito-borne diseases

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases has launched a clinical trial to test an investigational vaccine designed to protect against a range of mosquito-transmitted diseases – such as Zika, malaria and West Nile and dengue fevers – by triggering an immune response to mosquito saliva. The study, expected to enroll up to 60 healthy adults, also will investigate whether mosquitoes who feed on study participants die early or reproduce less, which could hinder disease transmission. “A single vaccine capable of protecting against the scourge of mosquito-borne diseases is a novel concept that, if proven successful, would be a monumental public health advance,” said NIAID Director Anthony Fauci, M.D.