Scientists are now scrambling to test the viability of a tuberculosis vaccine that was developed a hundred years ago to fight the tuberculosis scourge in Europe.
Now, a report by the New York Times said that a health official from a Boston Hospital is seeking funding to start a clinical trial of the old vaccine that saved lives in the 1900s.
Dr. Denise Faustman, director of immunobiology at Massachusettes General Hospital have said: "We have really strong data from clinical trials with humans - not mice - that this vaccine protects you from viral and parasitic infections."
Can a TB vaccine protect against coronavirus?
The vaccine called 'Bacillus Calmette-Guerin vaccine' or (B.C.G) is popularly used in the developing world, where it has been proven to do more than preventing TB. That includes the reduction of respiratory infection rate and infant deaths from varying reasons.
TB vaccine seems to 'train' the body's immune system to recognize and respond to different infections caused by parasites, bacteria, and viruses.
While there remains limited evidence that the B.C.G. works against coronavirus, several clinical trials being done in some countries could soon provide a clearer picture.
Series of clinical trials to test B.C.G vaccine
On March 31, scientists in Australia have already begun administering the
B.C.G. vaccine or a placebo to 4,000 healthcare workers, from nurses to physicians. This is the first of several randomized controlled trials meant to test the efficacy of the vaccine against the coronavirus.
The same thing was done in over 1,000 healthcare workers in the Netherlands.
Dr. Denise Faustman is hoping Boston will follow suit. "I want it to start today," he said.
The B.C.G. vaccine was named after its developer Dr Albert Calmette and Dr. Camille Guerin in the 1early 1900s. Its development stemmed from the observation that milkmaids are spared from developing TB. The vaccine was made from Mycobacterium bovis, a form of TB that infects cattle.
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