THERE is so much still to learn about the coronavirus, not least what kind of immunity is conferred by infection.
When you have chickenpox, for example, you recover because you have developed immunity, part of which is the production of proteins called antibodies. When you next meet the virus, the antibodies enable you to shrug off the infection and you do not experience a second attack.
But the virus has not gone from your body, it is locked down in nerve tissue, and sometimes, later in life when your immunity is compromised for some reason, the virus can escape. It becomes reactivated, and travels down nerve pathways to cause a painful blistering eruption called shingles.
An attack of measles results in lifelong immunity. But on rare occasions the virus remains dormant in the brain, only to return years later to cause subacute sclerosing panencephalitis, a progressive neurological disorder that leads to inflammation of the brain, which can be fatal.
When finally a measles vaccine was developed in 1972, it was after years and years spent in development. The last new vaccine to be created and used on a wide scale was against Ebola. It took five years, a measure of the complexity of creating an effective, and safe, vaccine.
Many teams are working on potential vaccines for the coronavirus and there is hope, but it will be a long time coming – maybe not five years, but probably at least one.
Politicians and scientists must not suggest this stands a hope of being available sooner. A virus is a complex enemy to which there is no quick fix.
© Solo dmg media
