Vaccine Shows Promise for Treating Norovirus - East Idaho News

Vaccine Shows Promise for Treating Norovirus

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GETTY 10913 Vaccine?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1381308813568iStock/Thinkstock(CINCINNATI) — Afraid to take a cruise because of the dreaded stomach ailment known as norovirus?

Those days of worrying might be a thing of the past, thanks to findings by Dr. David Bernstein and his team at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and the University of Cincinnati.

Bernstein says that a test of new vaccine has been proven effective at relieving many of the symptoms of the gastrointestinal infection that is common on ships and seems to sweep through passengers with wild abandon.

Participants in the study were actually given a dose of the norovirus with half receiving the vaccine and the others given a placebo.  In short, just 20 percent of the vaccine group came down with vomiting and diarrhea while double that number in the placebo group were sickened.

Future research is necessary before the vaccine can be made available but its uses aren’t limited to ship passengers.  It’s estimated that one of 15 people are infected with norovirus every year.

Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio

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