If things go according to plan, you won’t die of dysentery — like in the flesh eating bacteria Oregon Trail computer game — because a courageous contributor tried out vaccination for the disease that affects thousands of individuals each year. In the video game, diarrhea is one of the game’s main features.
Earlier in April, Jake Eberts ingested enough shigella germs to make him sick for about a week. He was hospitalized for almost a week, allowing doctors to monitor his condition carefully. Eberts was one of 16 volunteers who tweeted graphic details of their ordeal.
Tomorrow I am going to be deliberately infected with dysentery and kept in a quarantine facility for 11 days as part of a Phase IIc vaccine clinical trial.
That sounds dark but I assure you I am extremely excited to overshare this journey with everyone. anyways here’s an FAQ
— Jake Eberts (@jeeeberts) April 3, 2022
According to Business Insider, Eberts said the sickness ushered in “the worst eight hours of my life,” suggesting he may have been in the placebo vaccination group and lacked the antibody necessary to fend off the shigella.
On the plus side, he was paid more than $7,000.
According to BI, researchers expect a 70% success rate from the vaccination before proceeding to bigger human trials.
Combating illness on a worldwide scale is an ambitious goal. The group may need volunteers.
If that’s the case, then the above advertisement, which is based on the Oregon Trail and ultimately convinced Eberts to back the initiative, should ideally appeal to enough people to warrant enduring the worst case of diarrhea they’ve ever had.
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