TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Valley Fever can be a terrible, sometimes deadly illness for people and dogs. Now, the University of Arizona says it has a Valley Fever vaccine for dogs that could pave the way for a human vaccine.
A fungus in our desert dust causes Valley Fever. It can be hard to treat. Vaccines normally target viruses. Doctor John Galgiani of UA’s Valley Fever Center for Excellencesays they have a vaccine that works for dogs.
It’ll be the first vaccine that works against a fungus, and it could lead to Valley Fever vaccine for people.
Doctor Galgiani says, “The reason the NIH (National Institute of Health) provided us with research funds to do this was not that they're against a vaccine for dogs, but their primary purpose is to help human health. And the idea is that if we can demonstrate that this vaccine works in dogs, it adds more evidence that this vaccine really should go forward to human trials. And we're actually actively working towards that next step now.”
Doctor Galgiani says the Valley Fever vaccine for dogs should be approved and available in about two years, and Valley Fever vaccine tests for humans may start in about two years.
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