Experts discover transmission of a virus similar to measles. This could lead to a breakthrough in research.
Frankfurt – Measles is a highly contagious disease caused by viruses. They occur worldwide and can be very dangerous. Complications occur in every tenth person who falls ill, reports the Federal Center for Health Education on the website infektionsschutz.de. Infection with measles can even affect memory.
Measles is not just a childhood disease, adults can also become infected. The risk is particularly high for people who are not vaccinated against the measles virus. The vaccination gap means that there are also occasional outbreaks of measles in Germany. In the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS) became a study published, whose findings contribute to the development of a drug against measles.
| Transmission of a similar virus |
| development of a drug |
This is how a drug against measles could work
Researchers from Switzerland have succeeded in determining the docking protein of a virus that is similar to the measles virus, reports the University of Bern. It is the distemper virus, a virus that affects dogs. Both viruses belong to the Morbilli virus genus. Another similarity is that both viruses are RNA viruses. Similar to how the corona virus infiltrates the cells with the spike protein, the measles and distemper viruses also use a specific mechanism to infiltrate the cells.
To prevent transmission, docking of the protein must be prevented. If this works for the distemper virus, the findings can also be used to develop a drug against measles.
Measles: The virus is becoming more common again
According to the Federal Ministry of Health, the vaccination rate against measles is around 75 percent. However, a rate of around 95 percent would be required for nationwide immunity. This is particularly dangerous for people who have a weakened immune system, for example due to previous illnesses.
Measles infections are increasing worldwide. According to the aid organization Unicef, there were over 850,000 cases of measles worldwide in 2019, the highest number in 23 years. Of these, over 200,000 people are said to have died from the infection.
In order to achieve the best possible protection against measles, the Standing Vaccination Commission (STIKO) recommends having children vaccinated twice against measles. However, since many of them are not vaccinated, the WHO even warns of global measles outbreaks. For this reason, some kindergartens and day-care centers require measles vaccinations. A one-off vaccination is recommended for adults who have only received one vaccination, are unsure about their vaccination status, or work in a risk area. (kiba)