PREVENTING HERPES
More than one million people in the United States become infected with the virus that causes genital herpes every year. Now, there may be a vaccine to prevent the disease.
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Every day, more than 200 Americans are diagnosed with genital herpes.
Thomas Heineman, M.D.
Infectious Disease Specialist
Saint Louis University
St. Louis, MO
"About one in four adults over the age of 30 has been infected with the virus that causes genital herpes. Some people become infected and never know they're infected."
Doctor Thomas Heinemann says that's one reason the infection is such a problem.
Thomas Heineman, M.D.
"Even people with undiagnosed or asymptomatic herpes can spread it to people who've never been infected, and those people can then have symptoms."
He's hoping to reduce the number of cases with a vaccine made from a protein that is part of the herpes virus. It stimulates the body's immune response to the virus.
Thomas Heineman, M.D.
"This vaccine may prove to be the first vaccine of any sort to prevent a sexually transmitted disease."
Early studies suggest it only works in women and that it's effective 75 percent of the time.
Today, Rachel Heacox is getting her third and final shot to be fully vaccinated. She's glad to be part of this research.
Rachel Heacox
Trial participant
"Right now, there is no cure for it, so it's important to find a vaccination in order to prevent the spread of the disease. I think it would just give you the peace of mind that you won't contract something that cannot be cured and that you could spread to others."
Doctor Heineman is hopeful.
Thomas Heineman, M.D.
"It's a lot of fun to participate in these big studies where you actually have a sense that what you're doing makes a difference."
To participate, women must have never been exposed to either genital herpes or type one herpes, which is the more common type that appear as cold sores on the mouth. The study will enroll more than 7,500 women across the country. To find out if a center is reruiting women in your area, log onto herpevac.com.
BACKGROUND: In the United States, more than 1 million people are diagnosed with genital herpes every year. About one in four adults over age 30 have the virus. It can be transmitted through bodily fluids and skin-to-skin contact around the affected area. Symptoms include itchy, red blisters in the affected area and are often accompanied with flu-like symptoms such as headache and fever. However, Thomas Heineman, M.D., Ph.D., from Saint Louis University, says some people become infected and never know they're infected because they don't experience any symptoms. In other cases, people may have symptoms, but do not associate them with herpes.
In the past, genital herpes was thought to be associated with cervical cancer, but that is not thought to be the case anymore, according to Dr. Heineman. Pregnant women who have genital herpes can potentially pass the virus onto their infants during birth, putting the baby at risk for developing life-threatening illnesses. Some drugs are effective at reducing the severity and frequency of herpes outbreaks, but currently, there is no cure. Dr. Heineman is participating in a study testing the effectiveness of an investigational vaccine to prevent genital herpes in women.
PROMISING RESULTS: Researchers participating in this nationwide study administer either the investigational herpes vaccine or a control vaccine to participating women. Researchers say the study targets women because results could prevent herpes transmission to newborns. Women who have either herpes simplex type I or type II are eligible to participate in this study. Type II is typically what causes genital herpes and type I causes oral herpes (cold sores).
The number of participants is currently around 250, but Dr. Heineman hopes they will be able to test 7,500 women. Each participant receives three doses of either the herpes vaccine or a hepatitis A vaccine and is then monitored for 20 months. The hepatitis A vaccine group will act as the control group for the study. Dr. Heineman says the vaccine is "part of one of the proteins that sits on the surface of the virus." The theory behind the effectiveness of the vaccine is that the protein that makes up the vaccine causes the body to form a specific antibody response and that these antibodies will attack any virus that you may become exposed to later on. The preliminary results are promising. Dr. Heineman says, "There was a 75-percent protection against herpes disease in women who received the vaccine compared to those who didn't." A 75-percent response rate to a vaccine is "pretty good," according to Dr. Heineman. Many vaccinations, including the flu vaccine are around that range. Preliminary results also suggest the vaccine is only effective in women.
IMPORTANT IMPLICATIONS: Ultimately, Dr. Heineman says he hopes the vaccine will prevent millions of women from having to endure the unpleasant consequences of the disease. If the FDA approves the vaccine, it would be the first of its kind. Currently, there are no vaccines that have been licensed for sexually transmitted diseases.
Web Site: herpesvaccine.nih.gov
Web Site: www.herpevac.com
Copyright © 2003 Ivanhoe Broadcast News, Inc.
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