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They pay 4,300 euros to get infected with whooping cough to test a vaccine

A new whooping cough vaccine has been developed, a nasal vaccine, and volunteers between the ages of 18 and 50 are needed for the next phase of research, which is to learn about the consequences of infection and how the vaccine reacts.

To do this, British researchers from the Southampton University Hospital look for healthy adults to be infected by whooping cough and receive either the vaccine or a placebo, according to the Daily Mail.

4,300 euros per infection

The new nasal spray vaccine called BPZE1. And the scientists want to test how the body reacts to whooping cough infection for 16 nights, which is what the volunteers will spend in a hotel with all meals paid for.

There is already a shot for whooping cough, but it can’t stop upper respiratory infections and it doesn’t prevent people from passing it on to others.

The research project lasts longer than those two weeksTwo to four months later, they will be deliberately exposed to the bacteria that causes whooping cough to find out how effective the proposed new vaccine is in stopping the infection.

Two and a half weeks later, before leaving the hotel, the volunteers will receive a course of antibiotics to eliminate bacteria from the nose.

How whooping cough affects

The infection is caused by bacteria that enter the lungs and airways and can cause pneumonia. It is an important disease, it kills up to one in 50 babies, they do not have a developed immune system nor have they received protection in the form of other vaccines.

Coughs are most common, but patients may gasp for breath, causing a “howling” sound, like a beeping sound in the lungs. Anyone can get infected. But adults usually have no or mild symptoms, while babies can experience life-threatening dehydration, breathing difficulties and pneumonia.

Whooping cough causes tos attacks which can last for minutes. It usually produces thick mucus and can trigger vomiting. There is currently a vaccine that protects all newborns in the UK against whooping cough.

However, it does not offer lifelong protection, cannot stop upper respiratory infections, and does not prevent people from passing it to others.

The UK has seen cases quadruple from 6,216 in the six years to 2011 to 25,891 in the six years to 2018. Whooping cough is estimated to cause 160,000 deaths worldwide each year.

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