A vaccine against rabies, giving promise of safe immunization before the onslaught of the infection and not after it, as the present vaccine does, has been developed in Israel, Dr. A. Kidron of the Israel Veterinary Institute reported today.
Addressing the Fifth International Biological Standards Conference, Dr. Kidron noted that the present vaccine, which was developed by use of rabbit brains as a culture, may affect a patient’s brain, causing partial paralysis. Although the likelihood of this happening is not great, averaging once in 300 vaccine treatments, the possibility has led doctors to avoid use of the vaccine unless rabies is definitely suspected.
Dr. Kidron said the new vaccine, developed in chicken eggs, had been shown in preliminary tests to be free of any threat to the brain and therefore usable without danger immediately even in doubtful cases. He said this meant that the danger could now be avoided of giving the vaccine when it was too late in the course of the rabies to be effective.
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