Australia approves vaccine to curb killer epidemic

A vaccine that could save Australia’s extinct Koala population from a widespread Chlamydia epidemic was approved for the first time to present it.

Sunshine Coast University (UNISC) scientists have spent more than a decade to prevent the spread of the disease that destroys wild Koala populations in most Eastern Australia.

“Some individual wild colonies, where the infection rate can be as high as 70%, is closer to extinction every day,” said Peter Timms. He said.

With the approval of the regulators, the team said that the team hoped to distribute the vaccine to wildlife hospitals, veterinary clinics and Koalas to the wild life.

“It was a long way … I think we almost gave up along the way.” He said.

“Today is a very exciting day.”

Chlamydia, which is transmitted by close contact or mating, can cause painful urinary tract infections, conjunctivitis, blindness and infertility and are usually fatal.

Both male and female coalas can be pressed to the disease, which is a different difficulty in humans, and Joys can capture by feeding in the bag of their mothers.

However, treatment can also be fatal. Antibiotics are usually given to coal -infected coals with clampidia, but this destroys intestinal bacteria that allow them to digest eucalyptus leaves (primary food sources) and lead to hunger.

In recent years, the most popular national symbol has encountered increasing threats to the wild population in most Eastern Australia, increasing threats from factoring such as land cleaning, natural disasters, wild pests and urbanization.

However, Chlamydia has become the largest killer – constituting 50% of deaths and claims thousands of coal. Some estimate that only 50,000 animals are in the wild nature. And in some states in a generation, there are fears that they will run out of lineage.

UNISC’s single -dose Chlamydia vaccine was tested on hundreds of wild coal, and its approval by federal regulators was based on the analysis of the value of these trials – the university is defined as the largest and longest time on the wild coars.

“This study found [the vaccine] Sam Phillips of UNISC reduced the likelihood of developing clampydia symptoms during reproductive age and reducing mortality from the disease in wild populations, “he said.

The research team hopes to provide the vaccine free of charge and this presentation can start in January next year starting from wildlife hospitals and most risk populations.

However, the treatment of chlamydia is extremely expensive, and to find, capture and instill wild coars even more costly, so the team does not have the money to realize these dreams yet.

Dr Timms, “Now to get financing, to make the next statement that the vaccine actually becomes a reality … Not just an experiment, it would be quite surprising.” He said.

Although he was excited, he stressed that it was not enough to save the types of vaccine. Authorized, other factors that lead the coars to disappear should be discussed, he said.

“The loss of habitat is the most important thing – if you don’t have a tree, nothing else is important.”

Environmental Minister Murray Watt said in a statement that the coming of the vaccine will help to see the coal of future generations in the wild nature, but the government focuses on species monitoring and habitat restoration.

At the beginning of this week, the New South Wales Government announced that 176,000 hectares will be added to the existing nature reserves to create the Great Koala National Park, which he promised in an election two years ago.

It is estimated that the new park will maintain more than 12,000 Koala and also provide a living space for more than 100 threats.