Patient trials of genital herpes vaccine begin in London

A new vaccine designed to prevent people with genital herpes from passing the virus on to their sexual partners has begun its first patient trials at a hospital in England.

Two healthy volunteers have been given the jab at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London, in the first phase of a study that could eventually provide the first effective immunization against the incurable sexually transmitted infection.

The safety trial, which will eventually involve 42 people, comes after encouraging results in animal models, the Times Online reported March 4.