Covid jab scientists develop bubonic plague vaccine amid fears of next pandemic

Scientists behind the Oxford Covid jab are developing a bubonic plague vaccine amid fears a superbug strain of the Black Death could emerge.

There is no vaccine in the UK for the plague, which has killed around 200 million people worldwide throughout history.

But the team behind the Oxford/AstraZeneca coronavirus jab has now reported progress in its work on an inoculation.

Three of the world’s seven known pandemics have been caused by the plague, a bacterial infection triggered by the Yersinia pestis microbe. It can be treated with antibiotics but none of the several vaccines in development are approved for use.

Scientists have called for the UK to add a Black Death jab to its stockpile as the risk of a superbug strain rises.

And now the Oxford team says a trial of its vaccine on 40 healthy adults which started in 2021 has yielded results which show it is safe and able to produce an immune response in people.

Read more: Covid jab scientists develop bubonic plague vaccine amid fears of next pandemic