New Chinese viral encephalitis vaccine shows dual protection

WUHAN -- Researchers from the Wuhan Institute of Virology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences announced that they have developed a new encephalitis vaccine, and laboratory tests suggest it can protect against two lethal mosquito-borne diseases with just one dose.

The vaccine candidate can target both Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) and West Nile virus (WNV). It induced robust immune responses in mice, exhibiting high levels of safety and efficacy, according to the researchers.

The study was published earlier this month in npj Vaccines, an open-access online journal of the Nature Research portfolio.

JEV is the leading cause of viral encephalitis in the Asia-Pacific area, causing nearly 68,000 cases of Japanese encephalitis each year with the case fatality rates averaging around 30 percent. Even those who survive the disease often suffer from permanent neuronal disorders such as cognitive, motor and behavioral impairments.

No effective antiviral therapeutics against JEV are available, and vaccines are therefore the only effective approach to prevent JEV infection. However, current JEV vaccines require repeated doses to achieve adequate protection, said the study.

WNV is a disease transmitted to people mainly by mosquito bites. According to the researchers, it can cause severe diseases in elderly and weak individuals. Since its emergence in New York in 1999, the virus has been reported in many other regions, including Africa, Europe and West Asia.