Future Good news about the Norovirus!

[Lydia B.]

Good Morning,

Ok it won't help all of us on the next cruise, but sounds like doctors are paying attention to the dreaded norovisus. I found this article in my morning paper:

 

VANCOUVER, B.C. — Bathing suit? Check.

 

Suntan lotion? Check.

 

Nose spray to keep diarrhea from ruining your cruise?

 

It’s not on the checklist yet, but scientists are closing in on a nasal vaccine that would protect against norovirus, the virulent bug that is the curse of cruise ships, cheerleading competitions — and any other venue that brings large numbers of people into proximity.

 

With an estimated 20 million infections a year nationwide, norovirus is the No. 1 cause of what people call stomach flu.

 

If the research goes well, the vaccine could be available within five years, said Charles Arntzen, a molecular biologist at Arizona State University.

 

“We are going to have a vaccine,” he said last week at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. But it’s not clear how effective a vaccine would be against a virus that evolves rapidly and comes in more than 30 varieties. And how many people will be willing to get vaccinated for a disease that’s generally just a nuisance?

 

While cruise ships and community outbreaks get most of the publicity, nearly 60 percent of norovirus cases occur in nursing homes, said Jan Vinje, of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Cruise ships account for 4 percent, and another 4 percent are linked to schools and school events. Children and adults are equally vulnerable.

 

Most victims recover after a day or two, but more than 70,000 a year are hospitalized. The CDC estimates that the virus kills 800 people a year, most of them older than 65. The annual economic toll is about $2 billion in medical costs and lost productivity.

 

The first experimental vaccine worked well in a test on 100 people last year, Arntzen said. About two-thirds of those who got the vaccine were protected from infection with one particular strain of norovirus. But a commercial vaccine will need to cover multiple strains, he said. Preferably, it will also be long-lasting, though the bug mutates so quickly that a norovirus vaccine might have to be reformulated every year like the flu vaccine.

[golfadj]

Interesting but if the virus mutates so quickly wondering if it will be really effective in the long run.

[H82seaUgo]

Interesting but if the virus mutates so quickly wondering if it will be really effective in the long run.

 

exactly. once you have a certain strain, you are immune to that one, but not the next one. same with colds and regular flu.

[arpie05]

I hope it works and everyone gets one. Then I won't catch it from you - I can't get a flu shot (allergic to eggs and serious life threating reacting to the shot) so probably couldn't use it. :rolleyes:

[Mrs CruisinCritter]

Even a flu shot doesn't work 100% of the time, but this could really be a big breakthrough. If this could prevent 75% of the people most vulnerable to contracting Noro from actually getting the virus and showing symptoms then I think it's worth the research.