“Among the most serious consequences of the opioid epidemic is the spread of hepatitis C among injecting drug users.
A major new study shows that if a hepatitis C vaccine were successfully developed, it would dramatically reduce transmission of hepatitis C among drug users—even though it’s unlikely such a vaccine would provide complete immunity.
The study, which employed mathematical modeling, is published in Science Translational Medicine.
Vaccines are currently available for hepatitis A and hepatitis B, but a vaccine for hepatitis C is still under investigation. A clinical trial is testing an experimental hepatitis C vaccine on injecting drug users. Unlike many other vaccines, the hepatitis C vaccine is not expected to provide complete immunity, known as sterilizing immunity. A vaccinated person exposed to HCV could still be infected with the virus, although the amount of virus in the bloodstream would be significantly reduced.”
Read more at: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2018-07-hepatitis-vaccine-transmission-people-drugs.html
Source: MedicalExpress.com – July 11, 2018
See related article on Hepatitis C: State prisons fail to offer cure to 144,000 inmates with deadly Hepatitis C available at: https://www.salon.com/2018/07/15/state-prisons-fail-to-offer-cure-to-144000-inmates-with-deadly-hepatitis-c_partner/
