Measles Vaccine Used Against COVID-19 in South Africa

The University of Cape Town, where trials are being held (wikimedia commons).

South African scientists launched a clinical trial among health-care professionals to test the efficacy of a common measles vaccine against COVID-19 on October 12. The commencement of the trial comes after South Africa records the highest number of cases and deaths on the continent.  

The University of Cape Town (UCT) and the University of Witwatersrand will oversee the distribution of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine. The MMR vaccine, which has combated measles outbreaks for the past 50 years in Africa, safely immunizes millions of Africans each year. In this clinical trial, scientists speculate that the same vaccine may boost the body’s innate immune system, preventing SARS-CoV-2 infections for sustained periods. 

Professor Bruce Biccard of UCT’s Anesthetics Department claims, “If we discover that the MMR vaccine can help train the body’s immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infections, then we will have something to administer very quickly while waiting for more specific vaccines and preventative therapies to be developed.” Additionally, he postulated, “If the trial shows that the MMR 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 infections.” 

Although COVID-19 and measles may seem to have nothing in common at first, the viruses share many qualities. Specifically, the outer protein layer of the measles virus and the coronavirus share similarities, fueling speculation that an MMR-produced antibody response could counteract a COVID-19 infection. The immune response elicited by the MMR vaccine would only prevent an infection and could not help those already infected recover like the drugs Remdesivir and Dexamethasone. 

Professor Sinead Delany-Moretlwe of the University of Witwatersrand commented that “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.”  

The study, which plans to follow participants for five months, will utilize healthcare workers in African countries including South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Ghana, as well as in countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and Ireland. Given the lengthy nature of the trial, however, it likely will not serve as a full-fledged preventative treatment in and of itself. Moreover, countries currently deploying the vaccine to combat the ongoing measles outbreak, such as the Central African Republic, have yet to notice any impact caused by the MMR on their  COVID-19 infection rate. 

Nevertheless, researchers at these universities remain in high spirits. Professor Helen Rees at the University of Witwatersrand 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.”