Vaccine breakthrough for deadly elephant virus

Researchers have made a breakthrough in the development of new vaccine to prevent a deadly virus that affects young elephants.

The vaccine, produced by an international research team, aims to prevent the severe disease caused by elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus (EEHV), which is currently a leading cause of death in young Asian elephants.

In trials that involved adult elephants at Chester Zoo, the vaccine was found to be safe and, crucially, to activate part of the immune system that helps fight viruses.

Prof Falko Steinbach from the UK Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) and the University of Surrey, said this was "a landmark moment in our work to protect Asian elephants".

The next step for the scientists is to test the vaccine in younger elephants, which are the animals most vulnerable to severe disease.

The current vaccination requires four injections to be given, so another aim is to work out if the same protective dose can be given in a simpler way - perhaps with fewer jabs.

Dr Edwards explained: "Ultimately we want to use this vaccine in the elephants that are at risk, so we want to make sure that we can get it to where it's needed."

Prof Steinbach added: "We think this is a significant step forward, and not necessarily only for the elephants, but because it also shows that you can design and apply vaccines to help endangered species."