Affecting a third of all adults, high blood pressure doubles the risk of dying from heart disease or stroke. The disease kills around 60,000 people a year in UK alone. But, for treating it, taking those pills everyday for life turns irritating at times as also causes side-effects in some patients — leading to their discontinuation. This turns fatal for many. How would it be, if high blood pressure could be controlled with vaccine?! No, this is no out-of-the-world imagination. British scientists have made the high blood pressure patients’ dream come true. Forget about those daily dosages of pills, which one skipped, lead to pressure fluctuations. The new vaccine developed by them helps control high blood pressure. Just a course of just three jabs along with a booster every six months, and the disease is under control. The jab is based on a protein found in limpets that attacks the hormone – angiotensin — produced by the liver. The vaccine, is said to turn the body’s immune system against ‘angiotensin’ – which is responsible for raising blood pressure by narrowing arteries. Thanks to the Cheshire-based drug firm Protherics for coming up with the new vaccine, making it much easier for people to control their blood pressure. The company’s Dr Andrew Heath said, Improving compliance in this way could save thousands from life-threatening complications such as heart attack or stroke. Image