Lusaka, Zambia, 27^th November 2020  –   The Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia (CIDRZ) has commenced the Zambia arm of an international trial investigating whether the already exsiting Measles and Rubella (MR) vaccine used in childhood immunization programmes can protect frontline healthcare workers from Sars-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19. The trial aims to enroll up to 30,000 health-care workers globally.

According to the World Health Organisation, more than 170 potential Covid-19 vaccines are being developed worldwide, but only nine are in late-stage phase 3 efficacy trials, and none has yet been approved by regulators. Researchers are thus also investigating whether tried-and-tested vaccines that provide protection from diseases as diverse as polio, tuberculosis and measles might provide a stopgap measure against Covid-19.

Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis is the clinical coordinating center for this ambitious, international trial, which is the first to evaluate on a large scale whether the Measles and Rubella vaccine can protect against COVID-19. The trial is co-led by Washington University, University College London, University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa and Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia (CIDRZ) as well as other prominent organizations in USA, U.K, Ireland, Uganda, Ghana,  and Zimbabwe, via the CROWN (COVID-19 Research Outcomes Worldwide Network) Collaborative.

The MR vaccine has been given safely to hundreds of millions of people around the world since it was approved nearly 50 years ago, and has successfully reduced the incidence of measles and rubella worldwide. Typically, the vaccine is given to children, with most getting two doses before age 6. The research team leading the trial points to growing evidence that suggests the MR vaccine may have benefits beyond protecting against measles and rubella. It could broadly boost an individual’s immunity and may prevent infection from SARS-CoV-2 for a limited period. This is because the vaccine carries small amounts of live, weakened viruses that could train the body’s immune system to fight multiple pathogens.

“We know that the MR vaccine is safe, and we think there are two main reasons that it could prevent COVID-19,” said the study principal investigator, Dr. Izukanji Sikazwe who is also the Chief excecutive Officer and Director at CIDRZ. “The first reason is that this vaccine includes small amounts of live but very weakened measles and rubella viruses. This type of vaccine appears to strengthen the body’s immune response to infections in general, not just to the viruses in that particular vaccine.”

A second reason the MR vaccine may be effective is that there are similarities between the weakened viruses in the vaccine and the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19. All of these viruses have similar proteins on their surfaces that are involved in infecting cells in the body, so the researchers think that antibodies made in response to the MR vaccine also may recognize and fight the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Unlike the drugs remdesivir and dexamethasone, the only medications so far identified as being helpful in treating COVID-19, the MR vaccine would not be used to aid recovery from illness. Instead, the researchers want to learn whether the vaccine can elicit an immune response that slows the spread of the virus and protects front-line health-care workers who work in high-risk settings from developing COVID-19. The vaccine also will be examined to see whether it might reduce the severity of illness for those who do become infected.

Most health-care workers enrolled in the trial will receive a booster, as they likely received the vaccine as children. But in some countries where the MR vaccine isn’t widely given to children, health-care workers may be receiving the vaccine for the first time. Protection from the vaccine could work for weeks to months after injection, so those who have received MR as a child are still eligible to participate in the trial.

The trial is focusing on health-care workers and their safety so that they can continue to care for infected patients around the world.  In addition to researchers learning whether the MR vaccine can keep the front-line workers healthy, study participants will be receiving education about COVID-19 and will be screened for evidence of infection. The MR vaccine has added benefits in that it is very safe and provides protection from viruses, including measles, that have made a resurgence in some communities.

Health-care workers in the trial will be divided randomly into two groups. One will receive the MR vaccine, while the other group will receive an inactive placebo. Each participant will be followed for five months, and the entire trial is expected to last about a year. Those previously sick with COVID-19, those who are pregnant and those who have very weakened immune systems or are taking drugs that suppress their immune systems will not be eligible to participate. The Zambian  team hopes to enroll up to 500 health care workers in six sites in Lusaka (Levy Mwanawasa University Teaching Hospital, Levy Mwanawasa covid center, Chilenje Level 1 Hospital, Matero level 1 Hospital, Chipata Level 1 Hospital and Chelston Clinic).

Dr Roma Chilengi, study investigator and Chief Scientific officer at CIDRZ believes that this approach is complementary to the search for specific SARS-CoV-2 vaccines. “If we discover that the MR vaccine can help train the body’s immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection, then we will have something to administer very quickly, while waiting for more specific vaccines and preventive therapies to be developed,” says Dr Chilengi. “If the trial shows that the MR vaccine can boost the body’s immune response, we believe it also may enhance the effectiveness of vaccines currently in development to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection.”

Dr Kenndy Malama, study investigator and Permanet Secretary Technical Services at Ministry of Health in Zambia, believes that the trial will have important results for the country and the region. “Many millions of people in the world received the MR vaccine during childhood, and it is known to be extremely safe,” Dr Malama  said. “If this widely available vaccine turns out to be helpful, it could be a very important tool for protecting health-care workers, and we need additional tools beyond personal protective equipment and good hand hygiene, which remain vital in fighting the pandemic.”

The trial itself is funded by the COVID-19 Therapeutics Accelerator — an initiative launched by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Wellcome and Mastercard with support from an array of public and philanthropic donors. The Therapeutics Accelerator works to speed up the response to the Covid-19 pandemic by identifying, assessing, developing and scaling-up treatments. Its partners are committed to equitable access, including making products available and affordable in low-resource settings.

The investigative team for the study in Zambia includes Dr. Izukanji Sikazwe, Dr. Roma Chilengi,  Dr Carolyn Bolton and Dr. Chikumbutso Chipeta from CIDRZ, Dr. Bright Nsokolo and Dr. Laston Chikoya from Levy Mwanawasa University Teaching Hospital, Dr Kennedy Malama, Dr. Francis Mupeta and Dr Duncan Chanda from Ministry of Health  and Dr. Victor Mukonka from the Zambia National Public Health Institute.

• ENDS –

Issued By :  

Dr. Izukanji Sikazwe

Chief Executive Officer and Principal Investigator

Email : izukanji.sikazwe@cidrz.org                          Contact :  +260 977 233 829

Note to Editors

The Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia (CIDRZ) is an independent nonprofit Zambian company, that is committed to answering key research questions relevant to Zambia and the region. It supports local ownership of high quality, complementary and integrated healthcare research and services within the Zambian public health system, and facilitates clinical, research and professional development training.

Through close and on-going collaboration with the Government of the Republic of Zambia (GRZ), Ministry of Health (MOH), Ministry of Community Development (MCD) and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), and by partnering with leading local and international universities, CIDRZ ensures that the latest research methodologies are used to answer locally relevant questions and improve healthcare delivery.

CIDRZ has been conducting research studies for over a decade focused on evidence-based knowledge translation. With numerous health problems affecting the country, CIDRZ realized that better utilization of evidence in policy and practice can help save lives, reduce poverty and improve development performance of Zambia.

Based on Zambia National Health Research priority agenda, CIDRZ aims to identify locally-relevant, culturally-acceptable, resource-appropriate, evidence-based interventions that will influence evidence-based policy formulation. Therefore, in pursuit of evidence-based policy decisions informed by available systemic evidence that produce better outcomes, CIDRZ conducts research studies ranging from clinical trials, surveys, behavioral and implementation science studies.