Amid concerns over a 3rd wave of Covid-19 potentially affecting children more, a study conducted by researchers in India has found that youngsters inoculated with measles vaccine had milder symptoms upon contracting the novel coronavirus than those not vaccinated.
The study, conducted by BJ Medical College in Pune, also showed that measles vaccine had an effectiveness of 87.5 per cent against the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
The study, published within the peer-reviewed journal Human Vaccines and Immunotherapeutics, also said that measles vaccine might offer long-term protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection in children. The researchers behind the study involved more trails to verify their findings.
“This is that the world’s first such study. We focused on MMR vaccines for the study since the aminoalkanoic acid sequence of SARS-CoV-2 is almost 30 per cent almost like that of rubella virus. The spike (S) protein of SARS-CoV-2 is additionally almost like the hemagglutinin protein of the Measles virus. that’s why we did the study and therefore the results are promising,” paediatrician Dr Nilesh Gujar, the study’s lead investigator, told IndiaToday.in.
Dr Nilesh Gujar also said the MMR vaccine can also help prevent cytokine storms in children affected with Covid-19. Cytokine storm is when the body starts to attack its own cells and tissues instead of just fighting off the virus.
” The MMR vaccine will give heterogenous protection to kids till a Covid-19 vaccine is formed available. those that haven’t been fully vaccinated or received one dose must get inoculated in order that they’re protected against measles and also might get some protection against Covid-19,” Dr Nilesh Gujar told IndiaToday.in.
HOW THE STUDY WAS CONDUCTED
The news bodes well for India since the measles vaccine has been a part of the country’s routine immunisation programme for the past 35 years. In India, the primary dose of measles vaccine is given at 9-12 months aged and therefore the second dose at 16-24 months aged .
The study was conducted on 548 children between the age of 1 to 17. They were split into two groups — those that had tested positive for Covid-19 through RT-PCR tests and people who weren’t .
All participants within the study had received Oral Polio Virus (OPV) and every one except one had received Bacillus CalmetteGuerin vaccines.
“Measles Containing Vaccines (MCVs) reduced incidence of laboratory confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection in children. Number of symptomatic cases were also lower within the vaccinated group compared to the unvaccinated group,” the study found. “Age and sex didn’t influence the protection provided by MCVs,” it further stated.
COVID-19 VACCINES for youngsters
The study lays credence to the hypothesis by several researchers that children could also be protected against SARS-CoV-2 infection by “non-specific immunity” provided by live-attenuated vaccines like measles and BCG.
So far, the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has been milder within the paediatric population than in adults. However, children are often important carriers for transmission of the virus, the researchers noted.
Till now, only the Covid-19 vaccine manufactured by Pfizer has been approved to be used on children. The vaccine isn’t available in India yet. In India, Zydus Cadila and Bharat Biotech are conducting clinical trials of their vaccines on children.
In March, the journal mBio reported that researchers from Ohio State University had developed a replacement Covid-19 vaccine candidate, called rMeV-preS, employing a measles vaccine. The gene of a key protein is encased during a measles vaccine and delivered into the body.