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West Nile Virus Home
> FAQ Index >West Nile virus vaccine
Questions
and Answers
West
Nile virus vaccine
Q.
Is there a vaccine available to protect humans from West
Nile virus?
A. No. Currently there is no WNV vaccine
available for humans. Many scientists are working on this issue,
and there
is hope that a vaccine will become available in the next few
years.
Q.
Should people take the West Nile virus vaccine that is licensed
for use in horses?
A. No. This vaccine has not been studied in humans and could
be harmful. The effectiveness of this vaccine in preventing West
Nile virus infections in horses has yet to be fully evaluated,
and its effectiveness in humans is completely unknown. Veterinary
vaccines are not manufactured with the same rigorous quality
and purity standards required of human vaccines, nor are they
required to undergo the extensive field testing required of human
vaccines before they are licensed. For these reasons, veterinary
vaccines and other veterinary drugs should never be used in humans.
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