What’s it really like to be a guinea pig?
SHERRIE THOMAS, 27, from the Isle of Wight, volunteered to take part in a trial for a new vaccine at FluCamp. Here, she explains what it’s like to be a guinea pig and why she signed up. She says:
IT WAS a strange feeling being deliberately exposed to a virus that could potentially harm me. But I also liked the idea of participating in something that could improve other people’s health or even save lives.
I found out about the trials earlier this year on the internet. I was looking into it because I’d heard it could be a good way to earn extra money. My hours as a flight attendant had been cut back and I needed to supplement my income.
FluCamp was looking for volunteers to take part in a study testing a vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a common and contagious bug that can be deadly to young children.
It was offering £3,900 for volunteers to remain in quarantine in its testing centre while undergoing tests.
First, I had to answer a series of questions over the phone about my health and lifestyle — such as whether I smoked and how much alcohol I drank. Then I attended an examination where researchers took a blood sample to check for any hidden ailments that might bar me from taking part. These were all clear.
Two weeks before going into quarantine, I had the vaccine injected into my arm through an intravenous drip, which took about two hours.
The vaccine was given in advance so my body had a chance to develop the immune cells it needed to prevent infection before I went into quarantine.
When I got to FluCamp, I was shown to an isolation room where I would spend the next two weeks. I was unable to leave and not allowed any visitors.
Staff took my blood pressure, carried out checks on my heart and tested my lung capacity. After a couple of days of settling in, I was deliberately exposed to the RSV virus.
This meant lying on my back with my head hanging at a slight angle over the end of the bed, while a solution containing virus particles was squirted up my nose.
I had to stay still for ten minutes to stop it running out again. The staff constantly reassured me that I was in safe hands.
They checked my vital signs — such as temperature and heart rate — several times a day, and every few days I also had blood tests so the researchers could see if my immune system was producing the cells needed to fight the RSV infection.
Throughout the two-week process I felt fine. I passed the time by watching films and TV shows on Netflix, and playing games on the PlayStation in my room. There was no window to the outside but there was a small one that looked across the corridor to another isolation room, where a fellow volunteer was quarantined.
We wrote our phone numbers on bits of paper and held them up against the glass so we could chat to each other throughout the day.
The first week went quickly — it felt exciting to be part of cuttingedge science. But the second week really dragged and by the end I couldn’t wait to get out.
But if I had the chance to do it again, or to be involved in testing a potential coronavirus vaccine, I definitely would.