Black Death vaccine being developed by Covid jab scientists over fears disease could return and kill millions

Scientists behind the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid jab are developing a vaccine for the bubonic plague amid growing concerns about the emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains of the Black Death.

The plague has claimed an estimated 200 million lives throughout history, causing three of the world’s seven known pandemics.

While the bacterial infection can currently be treated with antibiotics, none of the vaccines in development have been approved for use.

Scientists are now urging the UK to add a Black Death vaccine to its stockpile as the risk of superbug strains increases.

A trial of the new vaccine on 40 healthy adults, which began in 2021, has shown promising results, demonstrating both safety and the ability to produce an immune response.

Prof Sir Andrew Pollard, director of the Oxford Vaccine Group, said the trial results will be submitted for peer review within weeks.

“There are no licensed plague vaccines in the UK. Antibiotics are the only treatment. There are some licensed vaccines in Russia,” he told The Telegraph.

Government military scientists have called for the vaccine to be manufactured in bulk, warning that plague still exists globally with “potential for pandemic spread”.

The disease can manifest in three forms: bubonic, pneumonic, and septicemic plague.

Bubonic plague, characterised by swollen lymph nodes around flea bites, is 30 per cent fatal without treatment.

Pneumonic plague, which affects the lungs, is 100 per cent fatal if not treated within 24 hours and can spread between humans through droplets.

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The infection is typically spread by fleas transmitting bacteria from infected rodents to humans.

The Black Death outbreak in the 1300s decimated Europe. Medical historians believe roughly half of the population was killed as a result of the disease.

Scientists at Porton Down’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) warn there is a “demonstrable” risk of superbug plague evolving. Antibiotic-resistant strains have already been discovered in Madagascar and Peru.

The growing threat of antimicrobial resistance is expected to claim 39 million lives globally by 2050.

DSTL scientists wrote in the journal NPJ Vaccines that vaccine development needs to be expedited “to prevent future disastrous plague outbreaks”.

The risk is heightened by antimicrobial resistance creating superbug strains that cannot be easily treated with conventional antibiotics.

Professor Tim Atkins, a DTSL Fellow, warned that antibiotic-resistant plague infections could remain active longer, increasing transmission risks.

“For pneumonic plague, this increases the chances of infecting others nearby,” he told The Telegraph.

Dr Simon Clarke from the University of Reading highlighted growing concerns about bioterrorism.

“Malign use in bioterrorism or biowarfare could see the bacteria spread relatively efficiently,” he said.

He added that vaccination of the whole population would be the only way to quickly control such a situation, urging states to maintain capacity for rapid vaccine production.