5 lakh sharks may be killed for COVID-19 vaccine, warn conservationists

Many vaccines, including those against other coronaviruses such as H1N1, SARS-CoV and influenza, have seen usage of squalene -- a natural compound originally obtained from shark liver oil.

Moneycontrol News

October 01, 2020 / 14:10 IST

Representative image: AFP Photo/Global Finprint

About five lakh sharks could be killed for their natural oil to be used in production of COVID-19 vaccines, conservationists have warned.

Shark Allies, a California-based conservation group, suggests that squalene – a natural compound originally obtained from shark liver oil – is used in some adjuvants that enhance the body's immune response to an antigen.

Adjuvants, or immune response-boosting substances, are a common component of vaccines as they increase its efficacy. Many vaccines, including those against other coronaviruses such as H1N1, SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV and influenza, have seen usage of squalene.

According to Euro News, about 2,500-3,000 sharks would be required to extract one tonne of squalene. The conservation group estimates that 2.5 lakh sharks would be required -- depending on the amount of squalene used -- if the entire global population is to be vaccinated. If every person is to receive two doses of the vaccine, the number would double to five lakh.

The organisation has also launched an online petition asking pharmaceuticals to stop using sharks for development of COVID-19 vaccines and use existing “non-animal squalene” options instead.

COVID-19 Vaccine

Frequently Asked Questions

How does a vaccine work?

A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine.

How many types of vaccines are there?

There are broadly four types of vaccine — one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine.

What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind?

Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time.

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