This article was originally published by Josh Archote for San Antonio Report.
Researchers at Texas Biomedical Research Institute will test what could become the first therapeutic for the measles virus, which is resurging in the U.S. amid declining vaccination rates.
Measles was declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000. But as vaccination rates have fallen, measles cases have climbed, and the country now risks losing its elimination status as cases continue to surge past levels not seen since 1991.
There’s no specific treatment for measles, partly because of how successful the MMR vaccine was in eradicating the disease in the U.S., said Texas Biomed researcher Viraj Kulkarni.
“Because there’s such an effective vaccine, there’s not so much effort going into developing an antiviral,” Kulkarni said. “If successful, this is going to at least be an option for kids. We are worried about kids below 5, the very vulnerable population.”