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Researchers are reportedly working on a vaccine to combat the human response to poison ivy.
According to Scientific American, scientists at the University of Mississippi and Hapten Sciences “inject a compound called PDC-APB” once a year or every two years to prevent the poisonous plant’s effects.
“We believe the shot will cause desensitization and reduce or eliminate reactions to poison ivy, oak and sumac,” said Ray Hage, CEO of Hapten Sciences. “Every March I start getting emails from people asking, ‘Where’s the drugs? Can I participate in a trial? “
The publication said that Hage’s team, which authorized the compound, has passed the first safety tests in humans and is about to be evaluated in a clinical trial.
Scientific American has also written on the progress of various studies on rashes from urushiol, the oil from plant sap.
According to the American Skin Association, up to 50 million Americans are affected each year by poison ivy or its cousins poison ivy, with about 85% of the population allergic to plants and about 10-15% extremely allergic. .
All three plants grow throughout the United States except Hawaii, Alaska, and some deserts in Nevada.
Plants – three-leaved, five, seven, nine, or appearing as vines or shrubs – cause urushiol allergic contact dermatitis that can be carried on animals, tools, and other objects.
The reaction to urushiol includes redness, swelling, blistering and severe itching, and the rash takes about two weeks to heal, according to the association, provided no bacterial infection occurs.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says anyone outside is at risk for exposure.
The agency said recognizing plants is an important step in avoiding them in addition to washing garden tools and gloves, wearing long sleeves and long pants, washing pets and washing skin at the same time. soap and cold water as soon as possible in case of contact with a poisonous plant.
While prevention is the best medicine, there are treatment methods available and the CDC recommends soaking in cold water or a warm oatmeal bath, applying topical over-the-counter corticosteroid preparations, or taking OTC corticosteroid preparations. prescription oral corticosteroids, apply over the counter topical skin protectors. including calamine lotion and avoiding scratching.
An antihistamine may help relieve the itching, the CDC said, adding that people should see a doctor if they have a temperature over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, if there is pus or a soft yellow scab on the rash. skin, itching becomes worse, they have difficulty breathing, and the rash spreads to the eyes, mouth, genitals, or more than a quarter of the skin.
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