According to the WHO or World Health Organization, around 3.7 billion people under the age group of 50 have infected HSV-1 causing oral herpes. It is also reported that 417 million aging 15 to 49 years have infected HSV-2 causing genital herpes.
Those who are getting herpes may not understand what it is since this infection is asymptomatic because of latent or dormant nature. If an infection is active, it is contagious.
Herpes is dormant to spring back into life. In November 2019, researchers finally revealed that the way herpes can able to go into and show up without hiding.
As per the report, HSV or Herpes Simplex Virus infection last for life. There is no vaccination to prevent it and no treatment to eradicate it. The problem doctors are facing is, most of the time these herpes lies dormant in the nerve cells and it becomes treatable only through the unpredictable period of activities.
More: Recent Discovery Shows How the Herpes Virus Reactivates in Neurons
Now, researches of Baker Institute For Animal Health, Cornell University, NY have discovered what allows the genes in herpes virus to turn on sometimes. They found that this HSV DNA escapes cruel protein wrapping in the nerve cells and reactivate. The senior author of these findings has explained that the on and off nature of this virus make it impossible to cure it completely. And so far, no vaccination also developed. This team finding may become key for more successful researches and treatment for HSV.
On 29th January 2020, the University of Manchester has come up with a new antiviral treatment for HSV using sugar. This new antiviral material is developed to destroy such viruses on contact and help in fighting against those viral outbreaks.
The new development has come up with in collaboration with international scientists who promised the treatment for cold sores virus or herpes, hepatitis C, respiratory syncytial virus and Zika virus. This team has demonstrated how much success rate comes from treating such viruses in the lab for genital herpes.
The research comes from the result of the collaboration of different scientists; The University of Manchester, UNIGE or the University of Geneva and the EPFL of Lausanne, Switzerland. Even at the early stage, the broad spectrum of activities towards this approach can also be effective against the latest virus: Coronavirus outbreak.
Virucides developed from sugar have resulted in the finding of a new antiviral drug that can destroy viruses that are non-toxic to humans. The antiviral drugs currently used inhibit herpes virus growth but they are not reliable. The viruses mutate and become resistant to those treatments.
While using revised sugar molecules the team has shown that herpes virus outer shell gets disrupted. Therefore it destroys the infectious particles that come on contact by opposing or restricting its growth. The new research has also shown how to defend against drug resistance.
The doctors have successfully engineered this new molecule modified from sugar with broad-spectrum of antiviral properties. This antiviral mechanism is virucide means that herpes viruses will struggle in developing resistances. Because it is a new antiviral and the first to show such a broad level efficiency, its potentials are going to be a game-changer for treating any viral infection, as per researchers.
The professors of Universities declared that they developed a very powerful molecule to work against any kind of viruses therefore they think, this will be a game changer for emerging infections.
The molecule is under patent and a company is set up to make this new antiviral bring to real world use. They may come in creams, nasal sprays, ointments and other similar treatments in the future. This is going to an exciting new material that works on multiple viruses effectively.
