There is, however, a vaccine, albeit one that so far has worked in only 15 people. Last week, Acambis announced that all of the subjects in its as-yet-small clinical trial had successfully developed antibodies. The company, which is by far the furthest along in developing a vaccine, started work in 1999, shortly after the virus reached U.S. shores. Full phase-one trials with more subjects should be completed within a year. “It’s still quite early,” says Lyndsay Wright, the company’s communications director. “Most vaccines take 10 years to develop.” Until then, people will just have to stick with low-tech prevention–mosquito repellent and long sleeves.
