A vaccine to protect people from the West Nile virus could be available as soon as 2006 and a medicine for Hepatitis C could help treat those suffering with the West Nile virus.

Health officials have growing concerns about the virus, since it has been spread quickly by mosquitoes across most of the United States and across five Canadian provinces.

Most people will never know they have been infected by West Nile, or even get sick from it. Antibodies normally attack the virus and thereby create a natural immunity. However for some people, West Nile can be fatal or lead to serious conditions, such as: Meningitis, encephalitis and polio-like paralysis.

While there is already a West Nile vaccine for horses, an American biotechnology firm, Acambis, began researching a vaccine for humans when the West Nile virus first surfaced in the United States in 1999.

The company is optimistic about their research and hopes to soon start human trials of the vaccine.

"We have a huge amount of animal data to support our claims, not to mention the trials we have done of the vaccine on cousins of the West Nile virus," says Dr. Tom Monath, the chief scientific officer for Acambis.

The vaccine is a live weakened virus, which causes a mild and harmless infection in order to create the antibodies that develop immunity to West Nile in as little as 10 days.

Research suggests that immunity against cousins of West Nile, such as yellow fever, dengue fever and St. Louis encephalitis may also help protect against West Nile.

In fact, the vaccine being developed by Acambis works on this principle. Genes from West Nile virus are switched with genes in the yellow fever vaccine. The body is then fooled by a modified yellow fever virus and creates immunity to West Nile.

While research continues on a vaccine, West Nile fever could be effectively treated with a medication for Hepatitis C.

Hepatitis C belongs to a disease group of mosquito-borne viruses and is similar, genetically and structurally, to the West Nile virus.

After studying the two viruses, American virologist, Dr. James Rahal found reason to believe they would be receptive to the same drug - alpha interferon.

Doctors began using alpha interferon, also known as Intron-A, in 1991 to treat Hepatitis C. It is the first effective treatment against this form of hepatitis.

Our bodies naturally create interferon, which creates a barrier against viral infections. But some people aren't fully protected or create enough of their own; therefore a synthetic form of interferon needs to be taken.

Dr. Rahal contacted one of interferon's manufacturers, Schering Plough and tested the drug in the lab, which seemed to work against West Nile. They were working on a protocol to test the treatment on West Nile patients in 2001, when the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta, Georgia contacted Dr. Rahal to go to Louisiana.

There had been an outbreak of St. Louis encephalitis in the state and the CDC wanted Dr. Rahal to test the drug on the West Nile-related virus.

In total, 15 patients were treated. While it wasn't a random placebo-controlled double-blinded study, the people who received the drug did seem to get better faster, suffered fewer neurological problems and didn't get as severely ill as untreated patients.

"At this point we can only conclude that the drug is potentially effective," says Dr. Rahal.

Research has shown that Interferon only works in the initial phase of the virus.

This summer they started an ongoing trial with 16 patients. Dr. Rahal is planning to continue the trial again next summer, if the West Nile virus emerges.