Current Events > I'm in an experimental vaccine trial. AMA

(+) Yeah! (+)

The vaccine is looking to prevent shigella bacterial infections from developing into shigellosis and dysentery. It's mostly a disease that occurs in parts of the world without clean drinking water, but has experienced an uptick in the US over the past several decades due to purposeful underfunding and political sabotage of infrastructure. Up to 600,000 people (mostly children) die of it every year.

Got my first shot today, a couple hours ago. Haven't grown a tail yet.

thats pretty cool.

I was already enrolled before this ad came out, but I think this is one of the best pieces of advertising I've ever seen.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/7/6/7/AAbYl1AADJW_.jpg

MixedRaceBaby posted...

thats pretty cool.

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<3 Thanks, gang. I figure if thirsty babies can usually survive this, so can I --- I'm not really worried, but it is sort of thrilling to be a 'specimen.'

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I honestly just saw an ad on Facebook, gave them my number and had a short phone screening a few days later. Went in February (on President's Day, I think) to give blood, get an EKG and answer some more questions. Today was lots of blood, urine and stool.

I didn't see the funny ad above; it was just a normal recruiting call. Something like "Are YOU generally healthy? University of Maryland Medical Center/Gates Foundation wants YOU!"

Today at my appointment, the nurse said that they had just finished with cohort 1 and that everyone did just fine. I'm very glad for them (and for what that augurs for my cohort as well)! <3

Badass. Let us know how it goes.

Self-serving bump because I'm filling out the symptom diary for the day.

No fever, no headache, no fatigue, no joint pain, no muscle pain, no diarrhea, no anorexia, no chills, no vomiting, no hard/hot/red lump at the injection site.

Still no tail. >:(

How much you getting?

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:'(

:(( ) ~ (that's the tail)

SergeantGander posted...

How much you getting?

If you mean money: after all is said and done, it'll be a bit under $8k.

If you mean drugs/cootie juice: I 'unno? A few tens of mLs?

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There will be a third cohort in the next few months, so maybe so! If you're on the East Coast, you could look up the shigella study through the University of Maryland Medical Center and sign up now. It's a good mission.

Heads up that there's a twelve-day medical lockup period you have to be able to commit to about a month and a half after you get your second shot.

I'm 24 hours out from the first shot. My arm's not even sore, which is awesome, since the syringe they used was really big (just the tube with fluid; the needle itself looked normal size). Going back on Monday for another blood draw and I get dose #2 on May 18th.

What kind of side effects would it take for you to not do a trial like this?

emblem boy posted...

What kind of side effects would it take for you to not do a trial like this?

If there were suspected long-term bone density issues or cardiac weakening, I'd be pretty nervous. Or if someone in the first cohort had died, I might back out. Otherwise, I'm pretty healthy, so the later challenge phase will suck, but I'm not worried about anything permanent.

It's not really a side effect, but if there were limitations on my travel that lasted beyond the twelve-day medical observation period in June, I would also have to reconsider it.

I won't be able to give blood for a year, which sucks, but I've had iron too low to give the past few times I went to give over the last several months, so it's not like I was helping with my blood anyhow.

Whats the last thing you ate?

BlingBling22947 posted...

Whats the last thing you ate?

Some seaweed salad and protein powder (collagen). They haven't given me any special diet or told me to avoid any foods, so I'm just eating like normal.