Kithure Julius Mwingirwa
21 December 2000
Nairobi — Scientists have developed an edible vaccine against food poisoning from a genetically modified sweet potato.
The immunity against Norwalk virus-responsible for causing food poisoning from many poorly stored or handled foods, is triggered by eating a potato that is genetically modified and equipped with anti-Norwalk virus, according to researchers at Cornell University, USA.
The invention, a joint research with the University of Maryland School of Medicine, is capable of halting effects of Norwalk virus in the human body incase of consumption of poisoned food. The researchers add that eating the modified and vaccine inclusive sweet potato successfully curtail food -borne illness.
The triggering of immunity against a virus by eating a sweet potato is not the first invention.
The Thompson Institute developed a vaccine against the highly killer Hepatitis B, still using a genetically modified sweet potato last year.
The switch of vaccine into edible foods, says Dr Anthony Fauci, director, United States National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) that funded both potato vaccine initiates is precipitated by the realisation that: "Edible vaccine offer exciting possibilities for significantly reducing the burden of disease like hepatitis and diarrhoea, particularly in developing world where storing and administrating of vaccine are often major problems."
Should this edible vaccine be successful in Africa, says Dr Grace Akoth, a nutritionist, then Africa will term this as a gigantic milestone because millions of African population face food-borne illness every year depleting the little medical facilities available in poorly equipped government hospitals."
"Unlike other forms of vaccine injected into the body or administered through drops-often subjected to illogical controversies, fears and safety queries like the recent countrywide polio vaccine falsely rumoured as laced with Aids/ HIV, there will be little room for hatching of such a rumour in this genetically modified sweet potato that has already developed vaccine," says a doctor at Kenyatta" National Hospital.
"An edible vaccine, " says Dr Carol Tacket, professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, "could be easy to produce, safe, affordable and effective."
Should this scientific venture materialize, as researchers says is the position, the concept of edible vaccine could provide inexpensive protection for most of the world's poorest population, many incapable of affording the conventional vaccine, and where administered free, lack means of reaching at the designated centres.
Many countries produce sweet potatoes in thousands of tons making it their staple food. This means that the genetically modified sweet potato could not only offer starch and carbohydrates to their consumers but also guard against food-borne illness.
Kenya, through the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (Kari) recently started field trials of the first transgenic sweet potatoes which lab tests and limited field trials at its research farms proved successful.
"If the transgenic sweet potato fronted by KARI proves a success, then it should not hesitate borrowing the vaccine theory from their counterparts in America. This decade is an 'agricultural revolution' and Kenya should not be left behind," says Dr Akoth.
'The percentage of poor quality milk from co-operative societies processing milk is very high. This is despite the farmers supplying the co-operatives with relatively good quality milk.'
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