Medical Health Encyclopedia

Two types of vaccines, chimeric and DNA, are under investigation for West Nile virus, but it will be several years before these vaccines become commercially available. The chimeric type of vaccine combines the genes of several different viruses. Promising results for a Phase I trial of the ChimeriVax-West Nile vaccine, which combines West Nile and yellow fever viruses, were reported in 2005. Also in 2005, the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease began a small clinical trial of a DNA plasmid WNV vaccine.

Rabies Vaccine

Anyone who is exposed to bats, or is exposed to secretions of an animal suspected of having rabies, should be given the rabies vaccine, whether or not there are indications of rabies. Exposed individuals should also receive immune globulin unless they were previously vaccinated. Veterinarians and animal handlers should be vaccinated. This does not eliminate the need for treatment if they are exposed to rabies, but it reduces the intensity of the treatment. Side effects include:

• Pain
• Redness
• Headache
• Stomach pain
• Nausea
• Dizziness
• Muscle aches
• Swelling at the injection site

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Allergic response can occur after the first shot and as long as 21 days after a booster shot. Rare cases of neurological disorders have been reported that cause pain and paralysis in the legs and arms, which clear up in about 12 weeks.