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Have Canadian Scientists Found a Vaccine for Chlamydia?

28 July 2016

By Nicole

Scientists in Canada have been working hard to develop a vaccine against the common sexually transmitted infection, Chlamydia, and have achieved some very promising results.

At present, there is no vaccination for the STI Chlamydia, despite it being one of the most common sexually transmitted infections throughout the United Kingdom and across the globe. Statistics published by Public Health England in fact suggest that chlamydia was the number one most common STI in 2015 with over 200, 000 diagnosed cases of it. Figures also suggest that it is young people who are most at risk of contracting the infection, with an estimated 129, 000 cases occurring amongst young people aged 15-24. While it can be treated with prescribed antibiotics, medical experts currently suggest that the best form of protection against Chlamydia is through the use of condoms for safer sex.

However, all this may be about to change after scientists at McMaster University in Ontario Canada have created a prototype vaccine which has showed promising results. The team of researchers gave two doses of the prototype to mice before exposing them to the infection. Interestingly, those mice which were vaccinated contained fewer copies of the chlamydia bacteria within their systems and also showed fewer signs of damage to the reproductive organs. Professor James Mahoney was extremely pleased with these “very promising” results and commented that the scientists would continue to trial the vaccine on other animals before eventually moving on to trialling it on humans.

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